As the U.S. President, Donald Trump, continues to lose the plot, Barack Obama has stepped up to the plate with some wise words of wisdom. He has penned a short essay (made available via Medium) in the hopes to ensure that some everlasting good comes out of these ‘Black Lives Matter’ protests.
We spoke about how you can help the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement all the way from Australia on this episode of It’s Been A Big Day For…
With no signs of the protests slowing down, Donald Trump has threatened to deploy the military on U.S. citizens. In a press conference this morning, Trump said, “I am mobilising all federal and local resources, civilian and military, to protect the rights of law-abiding Americans,” before running off to the President’s church and holing up a Bible, all-the-while skipping question time.
Unlike Trump, former President Barack Obama has some positivity to spread with his wise words on “how to make this moment the turning point for real change.” In this short-form essay, Barack Obama calls upon the “new generation of activists to shape strategies that best fit the times.” The message is all about how to “sustain momentum” as Obama acknowledges the “ongoing problem of unequal justice.” Barack Obama has three ideas on how to make sustainable change.
Firstly, Obama recognises the violence and looting and advises Americans to steer clear for fear of putting people in danger. He says, “The small minority of folks who’ve resorted to violence in various forms… are putting innocent people at risk, compounding the destruction of neighbourhoods that are often already short on services and investment and detracting from the larger cause.” Obama also says, “If we want our criminal justice system, and American society at large, to operate on a higher ethical code, then we have to model that code ourselves.”
Secondly, Obama shuts down claims that voting is a “waste of time” because racial bias is embedded into their criminal justice system by saying, “The point of protest is to raise public awareness, to put a spotlight on injustice, and to make the powers that be uncomfortable.” Also, Obama provides a ray of hope for readers when he says that “aspirations have to be translated into specific laws and institutional practices.” Additionally, Obama says, “The elected officials who matter most in reforming police departments and the criminal justice system work at the state and local levels,” highlighting that real change can happen at levels closer to the American individual.
Finally, Obama argues that “the more specific (Americans) make demands for criminal justice and police reform, the harder it will be for elected officials to just offer lip service to the cause and then fall back into business as usual once protests have gone away.” Wise words if you ask us!
Obama ends his essay on a short but powerful call-to-action, saying, “Let’s get to work.” You can read all of Obama’s powerful thoughts here.
For more information on how you can help the ‘Black Lives Matter’ protests from Australia, check out our yarn here.
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