Joe Biden reportedly shocked a group of black leaders last year when he said that parents in black communities can’t read or write. The comment, reported by The New York Times, is said to have been uttered by the former vice president during a private meeting with black mayors in Georgia. Three people who were at the event confirmed the version of events to the newspaper, claiming that Biden told them a problem black communities have to deal with is that the “parents can’t read or write themselves.” According to the report, his comment “shocked and frustrated” those in the room. In a statement provided to the newspaper, Biden’s campaign didn’t deny that he made the comment, saying: “The Vice President regularly talks about how his father’s experience has shaped the way he feels about and views the relationship between parents and their children’s learning.” Biden is desperately trying to resuscitate his campaign to be the Democratic nominee for president after a fifth-place finish in New Hampshire.