Obama slams leaders for not taking charge

Former president Barack Obama criticised the nation’s leaders for bungling its handling of the coronavirus pandemic yesterday, saying a lot of them are not even pretending to take charge of the situation.

The comments came in a virtual address to graduates of 74 historically black colleges and universities across the United States, an address that also included his first public comments on the killing of Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old black man shot when two white men attempted to stop him while he was jogging near his hometown of Brunswick, Georgia.

‘‘More than anything, 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,’’ Obama said as part of an address that offered encouragement to the Class of 2020. ‘‘A lot of them aren’t even pretending to be in charge.’’

Obama did not mention his successor, President Donald Trump, by name.

‘‘A disease like this just spotlights the underlying inequalities and extra burdens that black communities have historically had to deal with in this country,’’ Obama said yesterday. ‘‘We see it in the disproportionate impact of Covid-19 on our communities, 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 continued. ‘‘What is new is that so much of your generation has woken up to the fact that the status quo needs fixing, that the old ways of doing things don’t work, that it doesn’t matter how much money you make if everyone around you is hungry and sick, and that our society and democracy only works when we think not just about ourselves but about each other.’’

The speech capped off a two-hour live-streamed event called Show Me Your Walk, HBCU Edition, which included appearances from HBCU alumni, actors and actresses, NBA players and owners, corporate CEOs, and artists. Senator Kamala Harris, D-Calif., a Howard University graduate, made an appearance. Comedian Kevin Hart hosted.

But the main event was Obama’s commencement address, which was streamed on YouTube and social media.

Obama has promised to play a more prominent public role in the coming months as a campaign surrogate for Biden. – Washington Post

AP Former president Barack Obama tells graduates the curtain has finally been torn back on the idea that many of the folks in charge know what they are doing.