President Obama on Ferguson: 'I Feel A Great Urgency'
With today marking exactly one year since the unjust murder of 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, several media outlets have been releasing anniversary coverage to commemorate the teen's life. NPR, however, decided to release part of a new interview with President Barack Obama where he answers questions about race in America.
Morning Edition host Steve Inskeep left no stone unturned, pushing the president to speak on race as a political issue in the U.S. At one point, he asked Obama if he would have addressed race issues sooner in his presidency if a second term was not there to be possibly affected.
"That I don't buy," Obama responded. "I think it's fair to say that if, in my first term, Ferguson had flared up, as president of the United States, I would have been commenting on what was happening in Ferguson... Here's one thing I will say: That I feel a great urgency to get as much done as possible."
President Obama also noted that heading into his second term motivated him to expand and allow his "passions" to take precedence. "I've been around this track now for a while," he said.
Listen to the full NPR story with President Obama below. The rest of the interview will air next week.
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(Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images)
