On Tuesday, President Barack Obama took a purposeful detour from campaigning for Hillary Clinton to participate in a forum at North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro, covering a variety of topics ranging from sports, achievement, race and the historically black college experience. The interactive discussion was hosted by SportsCenter and taped before several students, faculty and participants in the president’s My Brother’s Keeper (MBK) mentorship program.
President Obama engaged with students, answered questions and — in his signature inspirational fashion — dropped blessings on blessings about the unique perseverance of the black experience.
“We all get knocked down in life, and that’s true regardless of race, faith, gender and as Maya [Angelou] points out, the question is, how do you respond?” he said, “Do you get back up once you get knocked down? I think that the history of America is people who oftentimes came here with nothing. That’s obviously most true for African-Americans, but it’s true for the entire immigrant experience for the most part. And yet, we’re able — in some fashion — to make a way out of no way. And through faith and dedication and perseverance to learn from defeats and thereby render them temporary to figure out the strength inside that allows you to achieve your goals.”
Watch the full conversation below:
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