Obama expressed his regret over the recent murder of Floyd, as well as other black men and women in recent weeks, in a Facebook post on Friday.
“Like many of you, these recent tragedies hurt me,” he wrote. “And I’m exhausted by anguish that never seems to stop.”
“It just goes on and on and on. Race and racism is a reality that many of us grow up learning to cope with. But if we ever hope to get through it, it can’t be just for people of color to deal with it,” he wrote. “It is up to all of us blacks, whites, everyone, no matter how well intentioned we think we are, to do the honest and uncomfortable job of eradicating it.”
She continued: “It begins with a self-examination and listening to those whose lives are different from ours. It ends with justice, compassion and empathy that manifests itself in our lives and on our streets.”
Obama concluded with a note of hope, saying that he prays “we all have the strength for that journey, as well as I pray for the souls and families of those who were taken from us.”
Both statements are presented in the context of sometimes violent protests across the country, as people cry and show anger at Floyd’s death. Floyd, 46, died Monday after a police officer hit him on the ground, handcuffed and unarmed, with his knee to Floyd’s neck for almost nine minutes and yelled, “I can’t breathe.”
