President Barack Obama, making his first public remarks on the George
Zimmerman acquittal, said on Friday that many African-Americans believe
that “both the outcome and the aftermath might have been different” if
Trayvon Martin had been white.
“You know, when Trayvon Martin was
first shot, I said that this could have been my son,” Obama said
somberly during a surprise appearance in the White House briefing room.
“Another way of saying that is Trayvon Martin could have been me 35
years ago.”
In searingly personal terms, Obama described his
experience with race-based prejudice. “There are very few
African-American men in this country who haven’t had the experience of
being followed when they were shopping in a department store—that
includes me,” he said.
“There are very few African-American men who haven’t had the experience of...Read more...
