Washington: The former president of the United States of America, Barack Obama, in a speech to the graduates of 2020, indirectly lashed out at Trump administration. He said that the leaders aren’t even pretending to be in charge, talking about the coronavirus pandemic and other crises that the country is dealing with right now. Although he did not take any names, people could understand who he was talking about.
Obama had appeared on television to give a speech to the American graduates of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), class 2020 that aren’t being able to get an official pomp celebratory graduation ceremony, thanks to coronavirus. During his 2 hour long virtual commencement address, he said, “Let’s be honest, 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.”
Obama criticized federal response efforts and continued saying, “More than anything, this pandemic has fully, finally torn back the curtain 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 former president has kept a low profile since he left the office in 2017. He refrains from talking about the current administration even after repeated attacks from Trump; hence it came as a surprise to hear Obama criticize him. Recently, Trump started a rather strange hashtag called ‘Obamagate’ on twitter, although Obama spoke nothing about it.
In a similar incident, according to a call leaked last week, the former president described the US government’s coronavirus response as, “an absolute chaotic disaster.”
“These aren’t normal times. You’re being asked to find your way in a world in the middle of a devastating pandemic and a terrible recession,” said Obama.
Barack Obama showed his outrage, though not directly, about the murder of Ahmaud Arbery which gathered a lot of attention after being shared on social media where a 25 year old black American was shot to death in broad daylight by a white father-son duo when he dint surrender to their questioning, in the neighborhood of Georgia.
“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,” said Obama.
It took more than two months for authorities to make an arrest and charge Gregory McMichael, 64, and his son Travis McMichael, 34, with murder as the local officials had initially refused to arrest them. This sparked more anger amongst the citizens of America and spoke about the atrocities blacks are having to face in the country.
Obama, during his address also said, “If the world’s going to get better, it’s going to be up to you.” He hinted and mentioned about, ‘the so-called grown-ups, including some with fancy titles and important jobs who do what feels good, what’s convenient, what’s easy. That’s how little kids think, which is why things are so screwed up,” he said.
Talking about the COVID-19 pandemic, which has claimed a disproportionately large number of African American victims, the former president said, “This just spotlights the underlying inequalities and extra burdens that black communities have historically had to deal with in this country.”
“What we’re fighting against is these long-term trends in which being selfish, being tribal, being divided, and seeing others as an enemy – that has become a stronger impulse in American life,” the president said, “And by the way, we’re seeing that internationally as well. It’s part of the reason why the response to this global crisis has been so anemic and spotty. It would have been bad even with the best of governments. It has been an absolute chaotic disaster when that mindset – of ‘what’s in it for me’ and ‘to heck with everybody else’ – when that mindset is operationalized in our government.”
Obama’s remarks were followed by speeches from other delegates and officials and performances by musicians, actors and entertainers such as Steve Harvey, Anthony Hamilton, Doug E Fresh, Wyclef Jean, Common, Kevin Hart, Wendy Raquel Robinson and Vivica A Fox.
