America
Sense of unfairness' behind protests across US: Obama
'Sense
of unfairness' behind protests across US: Obama
By Arun
Kumar
Washington, May 5 A "sense of unfairness and
powerlessness" has helped to fuel protests across America that have
occurred after the deaths of black men at the hands of police, according to
President Barack Obama.
"By almost every measure, the life chances of the average young man of
colour is worse than his peers," he said Monday at the launch of the My
Brother's Keeper Alliance, a non-profit foundation, in New York City.
The new initiative builds on "My Brother's Keeper" initiative
launched in 2014 in an effort to help unlock the potential of young men and
boys of color, particularly those who were at risk of falling out of school and
the workforce.
"Those opportunity gaps begin early, often at birth, and they compound
over time, becoming harder and harder to bridge, making too many young men and
women feel like no matter how hard they try, they may never achieve their
dreams," Obama said.
"And that sense of unfairness and of powerlessness, of people not hearing
their voices, that's helped fuel some of the protests we've seen in places like
Baltimore and Ferguson and right here in New York," he said.
The protests were catalysed by "a feeling that law is not always applied
evenly in this country," Obama said pointing to statistics that show men
and boys who are black and Latino are treated differently in law enforcement
stops, arrests, charges and incarcerations.
Striking a personal note, Obama said: "In every community in America there
are young people with incredible drive and talent and they just don't have the
same kinds of chances that somebody like me had. They're just as talented as
me, just as smart, but they don't get a chance."
"I grew up without a dad. I grew up lost sometimes and adrift, not having
a sense of a clear path.
"The only difference between me and a lot of the other young men in this
neighbourhood and all across the country is that I grew up in an environment
that was a little more forgiving."
Addressing these issues, he said, "will remain a mission for me and
Michelle not just for the rest of my presidency but for the rest of my
life."
The White House says that as many as 25 percent of African American and
Hispanic men between the ages of 16 and 24 can be considered
"disconnected," meaning they are neither in school nor unemployed.
One such young man can cost society nearly $1 million over his lifetime, it
says.
Various business leaders, entertainers, nonprofits and current and former
government officials have already put together over $80 million in commitments
in support of the new initiative.