Obama, in tribute to women civil rights leaders, says they 'made the movement happen'

[Street Knowledge]

Obama, in tribute to women civil rights leaders, says they 'made the movement happen'

WASHINGTON (AP) — Paying tribute to those who helped clear a path for him, President Barack Obama said women of the civil rights movement were "the thinkers and the doers" who made things happen and that every American has benefited from their labor and sacrifice.

"Women made the movement happen," he declared Saturday night.

Obama said black women were the "foot soldiers" who did the behind-the-scenes work of strategizing boycotts and organizing marches while others received the credit.

"Even if they weren't allowed to run the civil rights organizations on paper, behind the scenes they were the thinkers and the doers making things happen each and every day, doing the work that no one else wanted to do," he said in a keynote speech to the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's annual awards dinner.

 

[Elle Driver]

Well he's right, but everyone knows that and it's nothing new.

 

[PeridotPuss]

Feels like he's paying lip service not gonna lie

This behind the scenes thing is like a quick acknowledgement. Maybe he could have mentioned some female contributors by name but I'm probably expecting too much

 

[JahFocus CS]

Inb4 all the misogynists swarm in talking about how women have not made meaningful contributions to the Black struggle and to humanity

 

[Elle Driver]

Feels like he's paying lip service not gonna lie

This behind the scenes thing is like a quick acknowledgement. Maybe he could have mentioned some female contributors by name but I'm probably expecting too much

He's pandering. He can make general statements like this and he gets applause for it, but he doesn't want to be too controversial you know. He doesn't wanna mention all of the black women who contributed and pushed it to the forefront even though it's pretty obvious. I feel like if you're gonna give credit, mention them by name, especially coming from a black man.

 

[Danie84]

Thank you Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, and Rosa Parks

 

[Indiglow Meta (R$G)]

They also destroyed it.

 

[bcrusaderw]

They also destroyed it.

Males destroyed it by trying to make women second class citizens in their own movement.

 

[Indiglow Meta (R$G)]

Males destroyed it by trying to make women second class citizens in their own movement.

Black women always had numbers and a rapport with the white man...Not agreeing with somebody's natural inclination to beg or appeal to emotion is not making somebody a 2nd class citizen.

 

[bcrusaderw]

Black women always had numbers and a rapport with the white man...Not agreeing with somebody's natural inclination to beg or appeal to emotion is not making somebody a 2nd class citizen.

What are you even talking about? Denying people the opportunity to lead and make decisions in their own movement will alienate them, and cause them to go elsewhere. Save your "emotional women" rant for someone else.

 

[Poitier]

They also destroyed it.

Yup.

 

[ridedolo]

to our sisters. contrary to what this board says they always have our backs.

 

[Indiglow Meta (R$G)]

What are you even talking about? Denying people the opportunity to lead and make decisions in their own movement will alienate them, and cause them to go elsewhere. Save your "emotional women" rant for someone else.

Irrelevant. Stop typing, hoe. That black feminist movement was created by a WHITE WOMAN who admittedly worked for the CIA.

 

[Elle Driver]

Black women always had numbers and a rapport with the white man...Not agreeing with somebody's natural inclination to beg or appeal to emotion is not making somebody a 2nd class citizen.

Rapport and numbers with the white man? The same white man who forced sterilizations, abortions, experiments, and sex work on black women? The same white man who took away the black woman's right to reproduction (see: Mississippi appendectomies and Fannie Lou Hammer, a civil rights activist)?

 

[Elle Driver]

Irrelevant. Stop typing, hoe. That black feminist movement was created by a WHITE WOMAN who admittedly worked for the CIA.

The black feminist movement existed way before then. Read up on it and stop spewing fallacies.