Former First Lady Michelle Obama is confident younger generations are beginning to put the “pieces together” on how to speak out against injustices.
“Good Morning America’s” Robin Roberts noted young Americans have taken to the streets to protest after the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.
“Say their names and unfortunately there are too many names to mention,” Roberts said.
She asked Obama, “Is it different this time?”
The former first lady replied, “I hope so. It feels different and what gives me even more hope is what happened at the polls in November.”
Obama continued:
“We gotta march, we gotta protest and we have to vote. We have to be educated. We have to be informed. Young people are starting to put those pieces together and understand that, you know, it’s not either/or. It’s all of it.”
Watch her comments below:
“We gotta march, we gotta protest and we have to vote. Young people are starting to put those pieces together and understand that, you know, it’s not either/or. It’s all of it.” — @MichelleObama to @RobinRoberts on younger generations calling out injustices. pic.twitter.com/NO3TM37kYG
— Good Morning America (@GMA) March 3, 2021
Floyd, a Black man, died in Minneapolis in May 2020 after a white officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes.
Protests broke out across the nation with some cities experiencing shootings, looting and vandalism.
According to The New York Times, the Department of Justice has revived its probe into Floyd’s death.
After a grand jury decided none of the white officers who stormed Taylor’s apartment would be charged with causing her death, protesters flooded the streets of Louisville, as IJR previously reported.
Obama spoke out about the shooting of Jacob Blake in August of 2020 and the shooting of three protesters that killed two and injured the third.
“Like so many of you, I’m exhausted and frustrated right now. It’s a weight that I know Black and Brown people all across the country are shouldering once again. And we’re so often left wondering how things will get better,” she wrote in an Instagram post.
Obama suggested she was hopeful as a result of “powerful protests” that have erupted.
During her “Good Morning America” interview, Obama expressed “hope” with the younger generations.
Check out more of her comments below:
“That’s the point of #Becoming. If you are lucky … you will constantly grow and evolve until the day you cannot breathe anymore. We are all learning and becoming something better and greater.” — @michelleobama to @robinroberts on how younger generations give her “hope.” pic.twitter.com/ihGKeBNmre
— Good Morning America (@GMA) March 3, 2021
“They are hope. They are not jaded yet. They are not beaten down by what they are ‘supposed to be.’ They are still wide open,” Obama said.
She added, “If you are lucky … you will constantly grow and evolve until the day you cannot breathe anymore. We are all learning and becoming something better and greater.”