'Let's get to work.' While President Trump reportedly has 'nothing to say,' Barack Obama has penned an essay with three 'basic lessons' on turning protests into real, tangible change
, Obama lays out three “basic lessons” the new generation of activists can draw from the past.
The first is to not resort to violence. Obama acknowledges that the protests “represent a genuine and legitimate frustration” over the nation’s failure to reform policing practices and the criminal justice system, but notes that the small portion of protesters inciting violence are putting innocent people at risk and bringing ruin to vulnerable neighborhoods.
The former president then notes that Americans shouldn’t have to choose between protest and politics, and that he “couldn’t disagree more” with the idea that only direct action can cure the criminal justice system of racial bias and that voting in new elected officials is futile. Particularly, Obama stresses the importance of state and local elections.
Lastly, Obama writes that activists need to make specific demands, which will make it harder for officials to “pay lip service” to the cause. He notes that every community has different needs, but cites developed by the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. “Tailoring reforms for each community will require local activists and organizations to do their research and educate fellow citizens in their community on what strategies work best,” he writes.
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