'Proud of them': Barack Obama on daughters' participation in Black Lives Matter protests

Two times US President Barack Obama recently appeared at an interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper where he said that his daughters are “so much wiser, more sophisticated, and gifted than I was at their age”. Obama, who is father to 19-year-old Sasha and 22-year-old Malia, talked about their participation in #BlackLivesMatter protests against police brutality in the US. Taking to Cooper, the 59-year-old admitted that while he was sometimes worried about their physical safety as it was “nature of fatherhood”, however, he asserted that he is cent per cent sure about their priorities.

'Good sense of what's right and wrong' 

Taking about his daughters, Obama said that in terms of them having a “good sense of what's right and wrong, and their part and role to play in making the country better, I don't worry about that.” In the open conversation, he also opinionated that his daughters’ generation, regardless of their gender and race, was less tolerant than his own and stands ready to oppose any wrongdoing. While he highlighted that his daughters were moderates, they wanted to “raise awareness” and “call out institutions” or individuals if they were being cruel or discriminatory.  

Both Sasha and Malia have actively been involved in anti-racism and anti-police brutality demonstrations and activism "in their ways." Speaking to People last November, Obama admitted that his daughters' participation was not because they sought fame, but because they wanted a change. "I am proud of them," he had said.

This comes as the US recently marked one year of George Floyd’s killing, a tragedy that triggered the Black Lives Moment. The Minneapolis Black man had succumbed on May 25, 2020, due to a knee chokehold after former Minneapolis white police officer Derek Chauvin sat on Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes, despite his repeated requests that he “can’t breathe.” George Floyd’s death had sparked protests across the United States against Police brutality and systemic racism. Citizens demanded police reforms and justice for Floyd as they held the popular Black Lives Matter movement. Marking one year of the killing,  US President Joe Biden hosted the family of George Floyd at the White House. 

Image: AP