At a National Press Club luncheon in D.C. Wednesday, South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley touched on a wide range of topics, including nationwide racial tensions and the Black Lives Matter movement.

Saying emphatically "black lives do matter," Gov. Haley noted that elements of the movement have hurt rather than helped the black community they are supposed to represent and pointed to positive responses to recent tragedies as examples of a better way forward.

"Most of the people who now live in terror because local police are too intimidated to do their jobs are black," said Gov. Haley. "Black lives do matter, and they have been disgracefully jeopardized by the movement that has laid waste to Ferguson and Baltimore."

Faulting the movement for allowing the violent element to damage its initial purpose, Haley called for "turn[ing] down the volume" and coming together.

"Some people think that you have to yell and scream in order to make a difference. That's not true," she said. "Often, the best thing we can do is turn down the volume level."

As an example of the way a community can respond to tragedy peacefully and in solidarity, she pointed to the healing, solution-based response in Charleston to the murder of nine African Americans at the Emanuel A.M.E. Church and the tragic shooting of unarmed black man Walter Scott.

"It's all about working together," said the governor. "We don't think we get anything done by yelling. We get everything done by communicating. Any group who wants to talk about violence, there's no place in South Carolina for that. We will listen to you and work for you and try to bring you together."

Haley also clarified that her criticism of "the volume level" didn't only apply to some in the BLM movement. "It's not just Black Lives Matter, we've got lots of groups that want to yell and scream," she said. "You can do that, but it's not going to get you anywhere."

Following the racially-motivated mass shooting at Emanuel A.M.E. Church, Haley helped lead the movement to remove the Confederate flag from the grounds of the state capitol.

Many are eyeing Haley as a potential vice presidential candidate in 2016, her talk with the National Press Club in D.C. Wednesday helping stir up even more "VP buzz."

When asked if she'd consider running, she responded, "If a presidential nominee wants to sit down and talk, then I will sit down and talk."

Video via Mediaite.