President Barack Obama weighed in on the recent incidents that have occurred at the University of Missouri and Yale University, praising the protesters for speaking out. During an interview Thursday (November 12) on The Week, the POTUS explained the importance of the student activists and why he wants his daughters, Malia and Sasha, to follow in their footsteps by fighting for what's right.
Obama feels strongly about taking a stand against immoral acts, which is why Obama condemns the activists who have refused to stay silent. Although stressing the importance of it, he also believes it's just as important to maintain an open dialogue with people who hold differing views.
The 44th United States President is no stranger to racism or prejudice, in fact, Obama admits to having discussions about the topics with his family around the dinner table. He advises 17-year-old Malia and 14-year-old Sasha to remain actively vocal if they ever come across forms of inequality, someone using racial slurs or someone who's anti-Semitic.
"But I tell 'em: 'I want you also to be able to listen. I don't want you to think that a display of your strength is simply shutting other people up'," Obama told George Stephanopoulos Thursday at the White House. "And that part of your ability to bring about change is going to be by engagement and understanding the viewpoints and the arguments of the other side."
Obama wants everyday citizens to become active and engaged in social issues like many student bodies are doing around the world. Instead of shutting out or ignoring views you don't agree with, the President encourages people to try to understand them before trying to out talk them.
Students of color at the University of Missouri (also known as Mizzou) said they feared for their lives after a man threatened to kill every black person on campus via social media. Yale University attempted to stop racially insensitive costumes being worn during Halloween or at parties, by sending a carefully worded email. Faculty from each institutions addressed the incidents with little urgency or concern.
The 54-year-old father of two, who once fought against apartheid as a college student himself, was happy with the way Mizzou's football coach and team held their ground by refusing to play in any games until the President of the university resigned, following his unhelpful response to the racially charged events.
"The civil rights movement happened because there was civil disobedience, because people were willing to go to jail, because there were events like Bloody Sunday," Obama said on The Week. "But it was also because the leadership of the movement consistently stayed open to the possibility of reconciliation and sought to understand the views - even views that were appalling to them of the other side."
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