Published 22:09 IST, August 26th 2020
Melania Trump says racism is a 'harsh reality' in the history of the United States
The First Lady, Melania Trump, in her address to the Republican National Convention on August 25 made a passionate plea to Americans to re-elect her husband
The First Lady of the United States, Melania Trump, in her address to the Republican National Convention on August 25 made a passionate plea to Americans to re-elect her husband, President Donald Trump. PTI quoted her saying, “Like all of you, I have reflected on the racial unrest in our country. It is a harsh reality that we are not proud of parts of our history. I encourage people to focus on our future while still learning from our past”. This was the first time when the First Lady made a major reference to the socio-political unrest created in the country following the death of African-American man George Floyd in Minneapolis in May.
The First Lady talks about racial discrimination
Talking about racial discrimination, Melania reportedly said, it is a harsh reality in the history of the United States and "we are not proud of parts of our history”. Melania mentioned racial discrimination in her speech when the citizens of the US have been enraged with the killing of an unarmed black man in Wisconsin. According to the reports by international media, Jacob Blake had been attempting to solve a quarrel between two women when he was shot 7 times. This horrific incident outraged the citizens as they came down to the streets to protest. While speaking to the international media, Blake’s father said that the police officers shot my son seven times like he didn’t matter. Jacob Blake Sr. further added that his son ‘matters’.
During the convention, Melania spoke about her immigrant story as she said that becoming an American citizen in 2006 was one of the proudest moments of her life. Melania was born in Slovenia. PTI quotes Melania saying, “I arrived in the United States when I was 26 years old. Living and working in the land of opportunity was a dream come true, but I wanted more. I wanted to be a citizen. After ten years of paperwork and patience I studied for the test in 2006 and became an American citizen”. She further added, “It is still one of the proudest moments in my life because, with hard work and determination, I was able to achieve my own American dream. As an immigrant and a very independent woman, I understand what a privilege it is to live here and to enjoy the freedoms and opportunities that we have”.
According to reports by PTI, Melania is the second first lady born outside the United States. The first was Louisa Adams. Urging American citizens to re-elect her husband, Melania was quoted saying, “He's the first president to address a special session of the United Nations General Assembly to call upon countries across the world to end religious persecution and honour the right of every person to worship as they choose. He has made substantial investments in our historically black colleges and universities”.
(Image Credits: Unsplash/AP)
Updated 22:09 IST, August 26th 2020