Stop using racism to excuse failure, Obama tells black America



Barack Obama has delivered a thundering sermon to black America, urging parents to push their children to have dreams beyond simply becoming athletes or rap stars.

The U.S. President declared that racism and poverty were no longer good enough excuses for poor grades or lowered expectations.

Telling black parents that they must accept their responsibilities, he said: 'That means putting away the video games and putting our kids to bed at a reasonable hour.

President Barack Obama walks off stage following a rally in New Jersey last night in which he urged black people to take responsibility for their own situation in life

'It means attending those parent-teacher conferences, reading to our kids and helping them with their homework.'

Thursday night's speech was the first time Mr Obama has directly confronted the issue of race to a largely black audience since becoming America's first black president six months ago.



In an impassioned message to black children - his rising voice reminiscent of civil rights leader Martin Luther King - he said: 'No one has written your destiny for you.



'Your destiny is in your hands, and don't you forget that. That's what we have to teach all of our children. No excuses! No excuses!

'I want our kids aspiring to be scientists and engineers, doctors and teachers, not just ballers and rappers.

'I want them aspiring to be a Supreme Court justice. I want them aspiring to be President.'

Mr Obama was speaking in New York to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People, the nation's biggest civil rights body.



Echoing one of the themes of his presidential campaign, he refused to be bound by political correctness, calling for a 'new mindset, a new set of attitudes'.

This was needed as 'one of the most durable and destructive legacies of discrimination is how so many in our community have come to expect so little of themselves'.

President Barack Obama walks down the stairs from Air Force One upon his arrival at Andrews Air Force Base ahead of his fiery speech to Black America

Mr Obama urged blacks to recapture the spirit of the civil rights movement half-a- century ago to tackle problems such as joblessness, Aids and spiralling health-care costs.

He said they needed 'the same commitment, the same sense of urgency, the same sense of sacrifice'.

At times during the 45-minute speech, he was laughing with the packed audience. At others, however, he was lecturing them with a fiery intensity that brooked no argument.

The President said his own life could easily have taken a wrong turn if not for his mother, who was white.

'She pushed me and cared about my education.She taught me right from wrong. I had the chance to make the most of my abilities.'



But he added: 'When I drive through Harlem and the south side of Chicago and I see young men on corners, I say "There but for the grace of God go I".'

However, Mr Obama admitted that inequality was still a problem.

'Make no mistake, the pain of discrimination is still felt in America,' he said, mentioning black women, Latinos, Muslims and homosexuals.