This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-23382880
The article has changed 7 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| 'Trayvon Martin could have been me' - Barack Obama | 'Trayvon Martin could have been me' - Barack Obama |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| President Barack Obama has said that "Trayvon Martin could have been me, 35 years ago", in his first comments on the case since last week's verdict. | President Barack Obama has said that "Trayvon Martin could have been me, 35 years ago", in his first comments on the case since last week's verdict. |
| The unarmed black 17-year-old was shot and killed in Florida in February 2012. | The unarmed black 17-year-old was shot and killed in Florida in February 2012. |
| George Zimmerman, 29, said he opened fire on the teenager in self-defence and was acquitted of murder by a Florida court last week. | George Zimmerman, 29, said he opened fire on the teenager in self-defence and was acquitted of murder by a Florida court last week. |
| In an unexpected press call, Mr Obama said very few black men in the US had not experienced racial profiling. | In an unexpected press call, Mr Obama said very few black men in the US had not experienced racial profiling. |
| Mr Obama said the pain that African Americans felt around the case came from the fact that they viewed it through "a set of experiences and a history that doesn't go away". | |
| He shared his experiences of being racially profiled in the past, such as being followed when shopping in a department store. | |
| "There are very few African American men who haven't had the experience of walking across the street and hearing the locks click on the doors of cars. | |
| "There are very few African Americans who haven't had the experience of getting on an elevator and a woman clutching her purse nervously and holding her breath until she has a chance to get off." | |
| He also hailed the "grace and dignity" of Trayvon Martin's parents in the way that they reacted to the verdict. | He also hailed the "grace and dignity" of Trayvon Martin's parents in the way that they reacted to the verdict. |