“This pandemic has fully, finally torn back the curtain on the idea that so many of the folks in charge know what they’re doing. A lot of them aren’t even pretending to be in charge,” the 44th President said during a virtual commencement address for historically black colleges and universities.
“If the world is going to get better, it’s going to be up to you,” he added.
CNN previously reported that Obama had criticized the Trump administration’s response to the coronavirus crisis as “an absolute chaotic disaster” during a private phone call with former staffers and administration alums. Obama did not reference President Donald Trump by name on Saturday.
During his message to the HBCU graduates, Obama also spoke of how the pandemic has disproportionately affected black communities.
“A disease like this just spotlights the underlying inequalities and extra burdens that black communities have historically had to deal with in this country. We see it in the disproportionate impact of Covid-19 on our communities,” he said during the “Show Me Your Walk” virtual commencement program.
“Just as we see it when a black man goes for a jog and some folks feel like they can stop and question and shoot him if he doesn’t submit to their questioning. Injustice like this isn’t new,” Obama said, referring to the killing of Ahmaud Arbery, a young black man in Georgia.
Obama, who was a former civil rights lawyer and community organizer before he ran for political office, also gave three pieces of advice for the graduating class to “create change.”
“No generation has been better positioned to be warriors for justice and remake the world,” Obama said.
He encouraged the HBCU graduates to organize at the grassroots level (and not just resort to online activism), to grow allies in the fight for a common cause, and remember “you’re all role models now, whether you like it or not.”
“Your participation in this democracy, your courage to stand up for what’s right, your willingness to forge coalitions, these actions will speak volumes,” he said. “And if you’re inactive, that will also speak volumes.”
