I would like to applaud President Obama for speaking out for better race relations in America. He connected his remarks to what happened in the Trayvon Martin /George Zimmerman case and it was most sad what happened and he mentioned the fact where he said, “Trayvon Martin could have been me 35 years ago.”
This is where Obama said he was profiled himself as a youth. He does speak the truth about that.
I myself had work for a number of retail chains both in the city and on Long Island in the ‘70s and was told to report any suspicious individuals in my department who might be looking to steal.
More often than not I would report more black individuals that whites.
Now as I look back at what I was told to do, I feel that was not the right way to go because stealing is not just limited to a person of color but all people who are hard pressed due to their economic conditions.
Race relations have come a long way but must go further.
We need not to judge others because of the color of their skin, national origin or their religious affiliations. We must not judge others by the color of their skin but by the content of their character, as Martin Luther King once said.
To all, let me say that to get respect we must give respect.
To President Obama let me say,” Kudos for saying what had to be said.”
Frederick R. Bedell Jr.
Glen Oaks Village
