World

Obama Tells Fellow Blacks: ‘No Excuses’ for Any Failure

by 158 | July 16, 2009 at 05:58 pm

190 views | 33 Recommendations | 9 comments

This is a good message for all
parents, black, white, other.
Parents will be the main and
earliest influence on children and
the standards they set will get the
children off to a good or bad start.

“They might think they’ve got a pretty jump shot or a pretty good flow,” Mr. Obama said, “but our kids can’t all aspire to be LeBron or Lil Wayne. I want them aspiring to be scientists and engineers, doctors and teachers, not just ballers and rappers. I want them aspiring to be a Supreme Court justice. I want them aspiring to be president of the United States of America.”

He also have some more good advice and delivered a fiery sermon to black America on Thursday night, warning black parents that they must accept their own responsibilities by “putting away the Xbox and putting our kids to bed at a reasonable hour,” and telling black children that growing up poor is no reason to get bad grades.

3 See all footage | View Slideshow

Share: email story | add to any | | facebook | stumbleupon

recommend This comment thread is now closed

sivakaran

at 19:04 on July 16th, 2009

"No one has written your destiny for you - your destiny is in your hands. You cannot forget that, that's what we have to teach our children."

Yes, those are some good advices, and they are true to a certain extend in US.

But, the world has long way to go for us to claim the destiny is in your hand.

I wish I could give the same advice to the people in third world countries and be right. Its certainly not true for the civilians still suffering in Darfur, Bosnia, Somalia, Congo, Sri Lanka, and among others.

albertacowpoke

at 19:12 on July 16th, 2009

I agree with you Siva, to some extent it's not totally true in North America either, although the odds increase. Education is the key to move forward.

158

at 19:19 on July 16th, 2009

One thing for sure, race relations in the US are much better than 60 years ago.

marianmo

at 19:27 on July 16th, 2009

This was a powerful message to all people....education is the key to sucess, but devloping a sense of ethics, morals and respect for others is also important.

158

at 10:20 on July 17th, 2009

Yes, he is a great speaker.

Paschen

at 20:46 on July 16th, 2009

Good comment Siviakaran. I agree to a point.

We can become what we want and write our own future as long as we do not compromise any one else's future in the mean time.

Any one can reach the top of any thing some may have to work harder at it though then others.

Hard work and good ethics are still the best way the get where ever you want to be.

sivakaran

at 22:10 on July 16th, 2009

Thanks Paschen.

We can become what we want and write our own future as long as we do not compromise any one else's future in the mean time.

I completely agree with you that we can.

My comment was specifically about the children in the third world countries, knowing only suffering and hunger.

They work hard, just to get food for the next day. They have good ethics, that they would offer food to a visitor although they starve.

I hope they can actually hope, and I hope for the world to provide an equal chance at reaching your goals regardless of gender, race, color, religion, disabilities and etc.

Let us be the change.

Iffy (not verified)

at 00:22 on July 17th, 2009

It comes down to character and good habits. The character and good habits will get you places in education. A person who is of poor character and is a slob, will not go far.

Society has a role here though: when a person shows up from a poor background and has made the effort to pull their crap together, then they shouldn't be loaded up with debt or turned away. They should be suppported. Sadly, we waste most people from modest backgrounds because people judge them not on their character, but on the size of their parent's bank account.