Michelle Obama responds to the killing of George Floyd saying she is ‘exhausted’ by the racist attacks on black people while calling on white people to do the ‘uncomfortable work of rooting it out’
- Michelle Obama responded to George Floyd’s death in an Instagram post
- The former first lady said she is ‘exhausted’ by the racist attacks on black people
- She referred to the killing of Ahmaud Arbery, 25, and Breonna Taylor, 26
- She called on ‘all of us – black, white, everyone’ to do their part in rooting it out
- Earlier, Barack Obama urged Minnesota officials to investigate ‘thoroughly’
- Protests and riots have erupted across dozens of cities in the US
Michelle Obama has spoken out against the killing of George Floyd, saying she is ‘exhausted’ by the racist attacks on black people in America, while calling on everyone to do their part in ‘rooting it out.’
The former first lady shared an Instagram post on Friday saying she was ‘pained’ by the recent string of tragedies in the black community and the ‘heartbreak that never seems to stop.’
‘Right now it’s George, Breonna, and Ahmaud. Before that it was Eric [Garner] Sandra [Bland] and Michael [Brown]. It just goes on, and on, and on,’ she said.
‘Race and racism is a reality that so many of us grow up learning to just deal with. But if we ever hope to move past it, it can’t just be on people of color to deal with it.
Michelle Obama said it’s up to ‘all of us – black, white, everyone’ do their part in rooting out racism in America
The former first lady spoke out against George Floyd’s killing by cops in an Instagram post on Friday
Obama referenced the recent killings of Ahmaud Arbery (left) a 25-year-old black man who was shot dead by two white men in Georgia earlier this month, and Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old woman fatally shot by cops in Louisville in March
‘It’s up to all of us—Black, white, everyone—no matter how well-meaning we think we might be, to do the honest, uncomfortable work of rooting it out.’
Obama urged Americans to start with ‘self-examination’ and to listen to people who are from different walks of life.
‘It ends with justice, compassion, and empathy that manifests in our lives and on our streets. I pray we all have the strength for that journey, just as I pray for the souls and the families of those who were taken from us,’ she added.
Included in the post were illustrations of Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor painted by artist Nikkolas Smith.
Floyd’s death has reignited tensions between law enforcement and the black community in the US after a white Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin was filmed kneeling on the 46-year-old’s neck until he passed out and later died.
His killing followed that of Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old unarmed black man who was shot dead by two white men in Georgia earlier this month, and Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old black woman who was fatally shot by Louisville cops in March.
Protesters gathered in front of the Third Police Precinct which had to be evacuated by police after it was torched
Barack Obama has spoken out against the killing of George Floyd in Minnesota, insisting that racially-targeted killings in the United States ‘cannot be “normal” in 2020’ and calling on Americans to work for a better future
Obama’s post comes after her husband and former president Barack Obama called on Minnesota authorities to ensure Floyd’s death is ‘investigated thoroughly.’
In a statement released on Twitter on Friday he said: ‘This shouldn’t be “normal” in 2020 America. It can’t be “normal”.
‘If we want our children to grow up in a nation that lives up to its highest ideals, we can and must be better.’
Violent protests and riots over Floyd’s death broke out across the US on Friday night with the CNN headquarters under siege in Atlanta, New York police officers fending off rioters from a police precinct in Brooklyn, and the White House forced to go into lockdown as demonstrators tried to scale the walls.
Protests escalated in Louisville, Kentucky as people demanded justice for Taylor, which left seven people shot on Thursday.
Crowds took to the streets again on Friday night after former officer Derek Chauvin was arrested and charged with murder.