Former President Barack Obama, who has largely been silent during his post-presidency, spoke out on Saturday about the racially motivated terrorist attack in Charlottesville, which has resulted in at least three deaths and dozens of injuries.
On his Twitter feed, Obama quoted Nelson Mandela saying, “No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin or his background or his religion.”
Tweets:
“No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin or his background or his religion…” pic.twitter.com/InZ58zkoAm
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— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) August 13, 2017
“People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love…”
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) August 13, 2017
“…For love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.” – Nelson Mandela
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) August 13, 2017
Obama’s message of love and unity – and his clear suggestion that today’s violence was racially motivated – stood in stark contrast to Trump, who said on Saturday that people “on many sides” were to blame for the violence in Charlottesville.
“We condemn in the strongest possible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides, on many sides,” Trump said, emphasizing that he is not placing blame on any one group.
Trump’s pathetic response to today’s white supremacist violence left a gaping void of presidential leadership that the country needed to have filled, and Obama rose to the occasion to fill it.
Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.
