President Obama made a statement that white nationalists won’t like. He explains why Congressman John Lewis has earned founding father status.
John Lewis must be regarded as a founding father.
America was not just founded into existence. It is in constant transition and remaking. The expectation is that every remaking makes it a better country. John Lewis worked to correct the mistakes and much of the evils which occurred at its inception. He is a founding father of its remaking. President Obama in his glowing eulogy/call-to-action explained.
“America was built by John Lewises,” President Obama said. “He as much as anyone in our history brought this country a little bit closer to our highest ideals and someday when we do finish that long journey towards freedom when we do form a more perfect union, whether it’s years from now or decades or even if it takes another two centuries, John Lewis will be a founding father of that fuller fairer better America.”
President Obama points out that John Lewis was well aware of the headwinds.
“He knew that the march is not over,” Obama said. “That the race is not yet won, that we have not yet reached that blessed destination where we are judged by the content of our character. He knew from his own life that progress is fragile, that we have to be vigilant against the dark occurrence of this country’s history, of our own history where there are whirlpools of violence and hatred and despair that can always rise again.”
The president then reminded us that Trump is attempting to bring back Jim Crow laws on the sly.
“Bull Connor may be gone but today we witness with our own eyes police officers kneeling on the necks of black Americans,” Obama said. “George Wallace may be gone but we can witness our federal government sending agents to use tear gas and batons against peaceful demonstrators. We may no longer have to guess the number of jelly beans in a jar in order to cast a ballot but even as we sit here there are those in power who are doing their darndest to discourage people from voting by closing polling locations and targeting minorities and students with restrictive ID laws and attacking our voting rights with surgical precision even undermining the postal service in the run-up to an election it’s going to be dependent on mail-in ballots so people don’t get sick.”
Obama’s full eulogy was a call to action as well.
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