He hesitated before starting to respond to CNN’s pivot about Biden’s victory – and especially Trump’s defeat – and even started with a brief restrained smile, but tears soon came to Van Jones, Barack Obama’s former advisor, lawyer and commentator. American television politician: “It was easier to be a father this morning. It is easier to be a father. It is easier to tell your children that character matters ”, he started saying as the voice started to choke. “It matters! Telling the truth matters! Being a good person matters ”.
He paused briefly to wipe away his tears and continued, in a shaky voice: “It is easier for many people – if you are a Muslim in this country you don’t have to worry if the president doesn’t want you here.” And he broke down again when he spoke of the situation of immigrants who are returned to their countries of origin “for no reason”. He interrupted the comment, stopped the tears, without much success: “It is the revenge of many people who really suffered”.
The CNN commentator recalled the slogan of the Black Lives Matter movement – “I can’t breathe” – a phrase that was repeated twenty times by George Floyd in Minneapolis, while he was suffocated by a policeman’s knee.
The same phrase that six years ago had been shouted under similar conditions by Eric Garner, an African American killed by the New York police. “It wasn’t just George Floyd, there were a lot of people who felt they couldn’t breathe.”
“People who were afraid to show their racism were becoming increasingly mean to you,” said the commentator. “And you care about your children and you care about your sister. And you can no longer go to Wallmart [hipermercado americano] and go back to your car without anyone saying anything to you. And you spend so much energy in your life just to hold on. And this is important for us – just having the possibility of some peace and an opportunity to start again ”.
Van Jones therefore defended that “the character of the country counts” and that “being a good person counts”, so “it is a good day for this country”. “I am sorry for those who lost – for them it is not a good day – but for many people it is a good day”, concluded the commentator.
The video was shared, for example, by NBA star LeBron James, who thanked Van Jones for his words.
CHARACTER MATTERS, BEING SIMPLY A GOOD PERSON MATTERS! Salute & Thank You @VanJones68!!! ????????????????✊???????????? https://t.co/G6wB9L3EvZ
– LeBron James (@KingJames) November 7, 2020
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