Oh, Celia! The pot & kettle were both black with soot, the saying comes from the days when cooking was done on fires.
It's odd that some people here seem to be taking the discussion to be about whether discrimination against black people exists. No-one has denied that. Likewise, the only people attempting to justify racism are those defending Abbott.
Her comment was racist. The question is: Was it OK for a black woman to make a racist comment? Personally, I don't see how you can claim it is.
It's one thing to say "White people have a terrible history of racial oppression" - that's agreed by everyone of any shade, except my awful neighbour and a few other lunatic dinosaurs.
It's another thing to say "White people still oppress black people" - that's more disputed these days, but NOT by anybody on this very long thread.
Another again to say "White people deliberately oppress black people now" - which is what Abbott said. If she'd said "some" white people, she may have had a point. But that's not what she said.
You'd probably agree with me if I said "Some black people mug white people" - though you might, rightly, ask why I chose to mention their race. Some white people are muggers, too.
It's very fair to say some black people like to divide and rule, also. So, even if she had said "some" white people, it still would have been racist. Just not as racist as implying "all" white people like to do that, as she did.