CNN | when it was my turn, I
explained to them when I was their age, I was a lot like them. I didn't
have a dad in the house. And I was angry about it, even though I didn't
necessarily realized at the time. I made bad choices. I got high without
always thinking about the harm that it could do. I didn't always take
school as seriously as I should have. I made excuses. Sometimes I sold
myself short.
And I remember when I
was saying this, Christian, you may remember this -- after I was
finished, the guy sitting next to me said, "Are you talking about you?" I
said, "yes."
And the point was I
could see myself in these young men. And the only difference is that I
grew up in an environment that was a little bit more forgiving. So when I
made a mistake, the consequences were not as severe. I had people who
encouraged me, not just my mom and grandparents, but wonderful teachers
and community leaders. And they pushed me to work hard and study hard
and make the most of myself. And If I didn't listen, they said it again.
And if I didn't listen, they said it a third time and they would give
me second chances and third chances. They never gave up on me, and so I
didn't give up on myself.
I told these young men
my story then, and I repeat it now, because I firmly believe that every
child deserves the same chances that I had.
That's why we are here
today, to do what we can in this year of action to give more young
Americans the support they need to make good choices, and to be
resilient and overcome obstacles and achieve their dreams.
This is an issue of
national importance. This is as important as any issue that I work on.
It's an issue that goes to the very heart of why I ran for president.
Because if America
stands for anything, it stands for the idea of opportunity for
everybody. The notion that no matter who you are or where you came from,
or the circumstances into which you are born, if you work hard, if you
take responsibility, then you can make it in this country.
That's the core idea.
That's the idea behind everything that I will do this year and for the
rest of my presidency. Because at a time when the economy is growing,
we've got to make sure that every American shares in that growth, not
just a few, and that means guaranteeing every child in America has
access to a world class education. It means creating more jobs and
empowering more workers with the skills they need to do those jobs. It
means making sure that hard work pays off with wages you can live on,
and savings you can retire on and health care that you can count on. It
means building more ladders of opportunity and the middle class for
anybody who is willing to work hard to climb it. Those are national
issues. They have an impact on everybody.
And the problem of
stagnant wages, and economic insecurity and stalled mobility are issues
that affect all demographic groups across the country. My
administration's policies from early childhood education to job training
to minimum wages are designed to give a hand up to everybody, every
child, every American willing to work hard and take responsibility for
their own success. That's the larger agenda.
The plain fact is, there
are some Americans who in the aggregate are consistently doing worse in
our society. Groups that have had the odds stacked against them in
unique way that require unique solutions, groups who have seen fewer
opportunities that have spanned generations.
And by almost every
measure, the group that is facing some of the most severe challenges in
the 21st century, in this country, are boys and young men of color.
Now, to say this is not
to deny the enormous strides we've made in closing the gaps that have
mired our history for so long. My presence is a testimony to that.
