Read President Obama’s message: This shouldn’t be normal
Today, we sent the message below to our email subscribers about President Obama's response to the tragic killing of George Floyd. If you'd like to receive updates like these and other Foundation news in the future, you can sign up for our email list here.
When the COVID-19 pandemic ricocheted around the world, it upended our societies and brought our lives to a standstill. But today in the US, we wake up in a country where it is clear not everything has stood still. Racism has not stood still. Bigotry has not stood still. The fatal disparity that people of color face—whether at the hands of law enforcement or the whims of our health care system—has not stood still.
On Friday, President Obama shared this video from 12-year-old Keedron Bryant, putting into song the anguish and heartbreak millions share after the senseless killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and too many more.
We wanted to share this video with you today, as well as the President’s own words about the tragic events of the past several weeks.
Six years ago, President Obama launched My Brother’s Keeper so that every boy and young man of color in America would know that their dreams mattered—that Keedron’s dreams would matter—as much as any other child’s. Today, that urgent work continues through the My Brother’s Keeper Alliance and through the work of several of our leaders who are fighting systemic racism throughout the world.
While now is a time for grief and anger, it is also a time for action and resolve.
And read the story below about how our neighbors here in Chicago are helping care for the communities of color disproportionately affected by COVID-19.
This is no time to stand still.
—The Obama Foundation
After a Chicago community call with President Obama, community organizers from across Chicago collaborated to create We Got Us, an initiative delivering packages of essential supplies to the city’s South and West sides. Their mission goes beyond providing immediate aid to the communities that have been disproportionately affected by the virus—these organizers want to help restructure systems to be more inclusive of the neighborhoods they serve.