President Obama on Trayvon Martin

July 21, 2013 Leave a comment

On Friday, President Obama spoke about the Trayvon Martin tragedy, in terms that were both personal and presidential. If you haven’t heard his talk you can listen here

After speaking about some of the experiences that are common to African American men in this society and some of the context for the reaction that many people are having to the Zimmerman verdict, he lifted up four areas for action:

  • Provide training for law enforcement to address and prevent potential racial bias
  • Examine laws like Stand Your Ground to see if they encourage rather than diffuse confrontations
  • Consider how we can do more to communicate to African American boys “the sense that their country cares about them and values them and is willing to invest in them”
  • “Do some soul-searching…and at least you ask yourself your own questions about, am I wringing as much bias out of myself as I can; am I judging people, as much as I can, based on not the color of their skin but the content of their character?

What would you add?

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