(SOURCE: Washington Post) – Former president George W. Bush addressed the nationwide protests in a statement Tuesday, commending the Americans demonstrating against racial injustice and criticizing those who try to silence them.
“It is a strength when protesters, protected by responsible law enforcement, march for a better future,” Bush said.
Describing himself as “anguished” by the death of George Floyd, who died more than a week ago after being suffocated under the knee of a white police officer, urged white Americans to seek ways to support, listen and understand black Americans who still face “disturbing bigotry and exploitation.”
The nation’s 43rd president’s statement does not mention President Trump, but his call for compassion and unity presents a stark contrast to the current president’s more inflammatory rhetoric.
“The only way to see ourselves in a true light is to listen to the voices of so many who are hurting and grieving,” Bush said.
“Those who set out to silence those voices do not understand the meaning of America — or how it becomes a better place.”
“We can only see the reality of America’s need by seeing it through the eyes of the threatened, oppressed, and disenfranchised,” he added.
As president, Bush faced protest and backlash, first against his decision to go to war with Iraq and later for his handling of Hurricane Katrina, which overwhelmingly devastated African American communities.
He and his family have had a strained relationship with Trump and have rejected his politics, though they have largely avoided directly criticizing him.
Bush ends his statement urging Americans to “choose the better way” forward.
“There is a better way — the way of empathy, and shared commitment, and bold action, and a peace rooted in justice,” Bush said. “I am confident that together, Americans will choose the better way.”
