Page 292 - Prism News Today

Prism. if you cant relate to this 17-year-old african american boy in florida, you can relate to me because you know me and im your president. you elected me. here is things that have happened to me. so it was like hes the prism through which he tried to show why there is so much hurt, and so much anger on the part of some at this verdict. so i thought in that way, it was an amazing way to kind of show that prism. im not sure i thought he had a choice. sooner or later he would have to talk about...

Legislation at the worked on in the illinois state senate was in fact a racial profiling bill. >> yes. >> this is something hes deeply rooted in. >> he wasnt taking a side in the case, and, you know, his initial statement was very clear in saying, you know, this was a case where reasonable doubt applied and the jury rendered the verdict and thats how the system works and he went on to explain the reaction of some african americans to this and the prism which they see it and not excusing one side...

>> so you didnt find her credible as a witness? >> no. >> barbara, i see you shaking your head. >> yes, because of all the theys. the way they live, the way think think. this is obviously a woman who sees herself as divorced from they. she doesnt say this is the way young people think or act. she doesnt say this is the way our community acts. this is a person who i noticed each in your interview, she kept talking about george. georgy. and trayvon was the boy of color. >> that goes back once agai...

In. >> so you didnt find her credible as a witness. >> i see you shaking your head. >> yes, because the way "they" live, the way they think, their environment. this is obviously a woman who sees herself as divorced from "they." she doesnt say this is the way young people think. she doesnt say this is the way our community acts. this is a person who i noticed even in your interview she kept talking about george. georgy. and trayvon martin was the boy of color. >> that goes back once again to what...

He posed some questions. and then he did talk about the remaining injustices in a system that african-americans and people of color have seen for so long and throughout history. he talked about that prism that only african-americans see through and the long history of injustices. so he did talk about injustices in the system. be it stand your ground laws or profiling, what have you. but he didnt talk about racism in the case. i thought he tried to elevate the conversation saying, look, heres how...

Or know she felt enough about trayvon martin. >> well, ive heard sunny hostin and mark geragos on your show and looking through the prison -- prism and evaluate people. she said in their community, they and she almost said like they were from a different world. and thats what you hope wouldnt happen, but unfortunately with that verdict, it suggests they were from a different world because -- sybrina said, if this was one of their children, five of them had children, what would they say about the...

But i will tell you, i thought one of the most effective things that the president said was when he talked about his two daughters and he said, they are better than we are. than we were. and theyre better than we are. he talked about the generational change. and he said, i dont want everyone to think that nothing has changed. because we are a more perfect union. were just not perfect. i think from that he was saying, yes, we have made progress. but heres the prism through which the african-ameri...

Trayvon martin. >> well, ive heard sunny hostin and mark geragos on your show and how they talk about looking through their prism, trying to see how they evaluate people. the things that was so troubling when i watched that interview is how she said, "and their community, they." she almost said, like they were from a different world. and thats what you hope wouldnt happen, but unfortunately with that verdict, it suggests they were from a different world because -- sybrina said, if this was one o...

When i listen to these kinds of things, to jessicas point he was incredibly personal. i was taking notes, not only as we heard him say last year, not only if he had a son he would look like trayvon martin, another way of saying that, trayvon martin could have been me 35 years ago. i want your take of what was said and also equally important, what wasnt said. >> i think one of the things that wasnt said, and i think this is where he was -- you know, this is a thoughtful guy. this is somebody who ...

You can be a proud african-american and still see things clearly. i think thats what people wanted to see from this president, particularly african-americans. him to be an unapologetic black man but still be an american and say i can be both, and i can be fair. i often think about the picture of the little black boy in the office who asked to touch the presidents hair. you can both and be fair. >> can i make one other point? you want to be crass here and look at this through a political prism? >...