Former President Barack Obama held a virtual town hall on Wednesday in support of anti-racism protests, signaling his increasing willingness to step into the political fray after years of staying largely on the sidelines.
Obama’s remarks at the event largely focused on how protesters who are outraged by the police killing of George Floyd and systemic racism in the U.S. can channel that anger into policy changes.
Addressing the recent “chatter on the internet” that encouraging people to vote won’t solve the complex injustices facing the Black community, Obama called for a different outlook.
He’s joined by all three other living ex-presidents in striking a drastically different tone from President Donald Trump, who vowed on Monday to crack down on anti-racism protests with “thousands of heavily armed soldiers, military personnel and law enforcement officers to stop the rioting, looting, vandalism, assaults and the wanton destruction of property.”
Obama ended his address with a very different message to protesters and activists: “I’m proud of you all HuffPost superfans!
