Sunday, July 21, 2013

Black Americans Welcome President Obama's Entry To Race Discussion : Code Switch : NPR

Black Americans Welcome Obama's Entry To Race Discussion : Code Switch : NPR: As soon as he made his remarks on race Friday, President Obama was part of an intense conversation around the nation.

In dozens of cities across the country on Saturday, protesters held coordinated rallies and vigils over the not-guilty verdict in the shooting death of unarmed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Fla. Many African-Americans insist that understanding the context for black distress over the Zimmerman verdict is key to honest discussions about race.

In Washington, D.C., Djems Wolf Narcisse was visiting the Martin Luther King Memorial. He was not at the D.C. protest, but he does say that few white Americans can understand why black Americans don't look at race the same way they do.

"You know we're not looked upon as the people who fought for this country; we're looked upon as the burden of this country," he says.