He had the courage to risk his own safety, to defy a Governor and a mob, and to walk proudly into that school.
Barack Obama: “He had the courage to risk his own safety, to defy a Governor and a mob, and to walk proudly into that school.”
On the recordSeptember 5, 2010
Source
presidency.ucsb.eduEditor's note · Context
Statement on the Death of Jefferson Thomas
Share
More from Barack Obama
Oct 19, 2026
It is a basic principle of American democracy that the government can’t selectively target individuals simply because of their political beliefs or what they say.
Oct 18, 2026
It is a decision about how do we face and embrace this finite amount of time we have on the planet.
Oct 15, 2026
If I had a blame pie for why politics is so polarised and why we're seeing a rise of populism in many places, it's because of that information that is going into our brains every day.
Oct 18, 2026
When we choose, when we make that decision, I do believe – and there is evidence for this – that the world gets incrementally better, and that is a worthy goal and it’s worth fighting for.





