President Barack Obama spoke at the funeral of late civil rights icon and Congressman John Lewis (D-Ga.). Lewis served in Congress nearly 34 years, and died at age 80 of pancreatic cancer. For access to live and exclusive video from CNBC subscribe to CNBC PRO: [ Ссылка ]
Former President Barack Obama delivered an impassioned eulogy for the late congressman and civil rights leader John Lewis on Thursday and called on Congress to honor Lewis’ legacy by expanding the Voting Rights Act.
Speaking in Atlanta, the nation’s first Black president warned that the same forces that empowered and motivated some of the most infamous segregationists in American history are still at work today.
Lewis, said Obama, “knew that the march is not over. That the race is not yet won,” and “we have to be vigilant against the darker currents of this country’s history.”
“Bull Connor may be gone, but today, we witness with our own eyes police officers kneeling on the necks of Black Americans,” said Obama, referring to the police killing of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man in Minneapolis this spring.
“George Wallace may be gone, but we can witness our federal government sending agents to use tear gas and batons against peaceful demonstrators,” he continued, referring to the Trump administration’s violent response to racial justice protests in the wake of Floyd’s death.
“We may no longer have to guess the number of jellybeans 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 I.D. laws and attacking our voting rights with surgical precision,” said Obama. “Even undermining the postal service in the runup to an election that’s going to be dependent on mail-in ballots so people don’t get sick!”
There was little doubt to whom Obama was referring here. Earlier in the day, Trump continued his monthslong war on mail-in voting with a tweet claiming without evidence that widespread mail-in ballots would result in an “inaccurate and fraudulent” election, before suggesting that perhaps the election should be delayed.
Trump also recently appointed a political donor with no relevant experience to the position of U.S. Postmaster General. The appointee, Louis Dejoy, recently unveiled an operating plan that would slow down mail delivery, even as states across the country ramp up mail-in voting to help protect citizens amid the coronavirus pandemic.
» Subscribe to CNBC TV: [ Ссылка ]
» Subscribe to CNBC: [ Ссылка ]
» Subscribe to CNBC Classic: [ Ссылка ]
Turn to CNBC TV for the latest stock market news and analysis. From market futures to live price updates CNBC is the leader in business news worldwide.
Connect with CNBC News Online
Get the latest news: [ Ссылка ]
Follow CNBC on LinkedIn: [ Ссылка ]
Follow CNBC News on Facebook: [ Ссылка ]
Follow CNBC News on Twitter: [ Ссылка ]
Follow CNBC News on Instagram: [ Ссылка ]
For info on the best credit cards go to CNBC Select:
[ Ссылка ]
#CNBC
#CNBCTV
