npr--2020-07-30--TRANSCRIPT: 'What A Gift John Lewis Was': Obama Eulogizes His Friend And Hero

TRANSCRIPT : 'What A Gift John Lewis Was ' : Obama Eulogizes His Friend And Hero '' I was proud that John Lewis was a friend of mine , '' former President Barack Obama said on Thursday , delivering an emotional eulogy for the civil rights leader who was an inspiration for America 's first Black president .
Lewis was a mentor and a hero to him , Obama said in a 40-minute speech .
Speaking from the former pulpit of Dr. Martin Luther King at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta , Obama praised the late Congress member 's commitment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ onto the Edmund Pettus Bridge and into decades of public service .
`` He believed that in all of us , there exists the capacity for great courage , '' Obama said , `` that in all of us there is a longing to do what 's right , that in all of us there is a willingness to love all people , and to extend to them their God-given rights to dignity and respect . ''
The two first met when Obama was in law school .
From there , they had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ life , from his arrival in the U.S. Senate to his presidential inauguration .
`` I told him , I 'm here because of you , '' Obama said of talking to Lewis as a congressional colleague .
`` He was a good and kind and gentle man , '' Obama said , `` and he believed in us , even when we do n't believe in ourselves . ''
Below , the full transcript of Obama 's eulogy for Lewis : James wrote to the believers , `` Consider it pure joy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you face trials of many kinds , because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance .
Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete , lacking nothing . ''
It is a great honor to be back in Ebenezer Baptist Church , in the pulpit of its greatest pastor , Dr. Martin Luther King , Jr. , to pay my respects to perhaps his finest disciple – an American whose faith was tested again and again to produce a man of pure joy and unbreakable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those who have spoken to Presidents Bush and Clinton , Madam Speaker , Reverend Warnock , Reverend King , John 's family , friends , his beloved staff , Mayor Bottoms – I 've come here today because I , like so many Americans , owe a great debt to John Lewis and his forceful vision of freedom .
Now , this country is a constant work in progress .
We were born with instructions : to form a more perfect union .
Explicit in those words is the idea that we are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ generation purpose is to take up the unfinished work of the last and carry it further than anyone might have thought possible .
John Lewis – the first of the Freedom Riders , head of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee , youngest speaker at the March on Washington , leader of the march from Selma to Montgomery , Member of Congress representing the people of this state and this district for 33 years , mentor to young people , including me at the time , until his final day on this Earth – @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but he made it his life 's work .
Which is n't bad for a boy from Troy .
John was born into modest means – that means he was poor – in the heart of the Jim Crow South to parents who picked somebody else 's cotton .
Apparently , he did n't take to farm work – on days when he was supposed to help his brothers and sisters with their labor , he 'd hide under the porch and make a break for the school bus when it showed up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , nurtured that curiosity in this shy , serious child .
`` Once you learn something , '' she told her son , `` once you get something inside your head , no one can take it away from you . ''
As a boy , John listened through the door after bedtime as his father 's friends complained about the Klan .
One Sunday as a teenager , he heard Dr. King preach on the radio .
As a college student in Tennessee , he signed up for Jim Lawson 's workshops @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
John Lewis was getting something inside his head , an idea he could n't shake that took hold of him – that nonviolent resistance and civil disobedience were the means to change laws , but also change hearts , and change minds , and change nations , and change the world .
So he helped organize the Nashville campaign in 1960 .
He and other young men and women sat at a segregated lunch counter , well-dressed , straight-backed , refusing to let a milkshake poured on their heads , or a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a foot aimed at their ribs , refused to let that dent their dignity and their sense of purpose .
And after a few months , the Nashville campaign achieved the first successful desegregation of public facilities in any major city in the South .
John got a taste of jail for the first , second , third ... well , several times .
But he also got a taste of victory .
And it consumed him with righteous purpose .
And he took the battle deeper into the South .
That same @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Court ruled that segregation of interstate bus facilities was unconstitutional , John and Bernard Lafayette bought two tickets , climbed aboard a Greyhound , sat up front , and refused to move .
This was months before the first official Freedom Rides .
He was doing a test .
The trip was unsanctioned .
Few knew what they were up to .
And at every stop , through the night , apparently the angry driver stormed out of the bus and into the bus station .
And John and Bernard had no idea @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who he might come back with .
Nobody was there to protect them .
There were no camera crews to record events .
You know , sometimes , we read about this and kind of take it for granted .
Or at least we act as if it was inevitable .
Imagine the courage of two people Malia 's age , younger than my oldest daughter , on their own , to challenge an entire infrastructure of oppression .
John was only twenty years old .
But he pushed all twenty of those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , betting everything , all of it , that his example could challenge centuries of convention , and generations of brutal violence , and countless daily indignities suffered by African Americans .
Like John the Baptist preparing the way , like those Old Testament prophets speaking truth to kings , John Lewis did not hesitate – he kept on getting on board buses and sitting at lunch counters , got his mugshot taken again and again , marched again and again on a mission to change America .
Spoke to a quarter million @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he was just 23 .
Helped organize the Freedom Summer in Mississippi when he was just 24 .
At the ripe old age of 25 , John was asked to lead the march from Selma to Montgomery .
He was warned that Governor Wallace had ordered troopers to use violence .
But he and Hosea Williams and others led them across that bridge anyway .
And we 've all seen the film and the footage and the photographs , and President Clinton mentioned the trench coat , the knapsack , the book to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the toothbrush – apparently jails were n't big on such creature comforts .
And you look at those pictures and John looks so young and he 's small in stature .
Looking every bit that shy , serious child that his mother had raised and yet , he is full of purpose .
God 's put perserverence in him .
And we know what happened to the marchers that day .
Their bones were cracked by billy clubs , their eyes and lungs choked with tear gas .
As they knelt to pray @ @ @ @ @ @ @ targets , and John was struck in the skull .
And he thought he was going to die , surrounded by the sight of young Americans gagging , and bleeding , and trampled , victims in their own country of state-sponsored violence .
And the thing is , I imagine initially that day , the troopers thought that they had won the battle .
You can imagine the conversations they had afterwards .
You can imagine them saying , `` yeah , we showed them . ''
They figured they 'd turned the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they 'd kept , that they 'd preserved a system that denied the basic humanity of their fellow citizens .
Except this time , there were some cameras there .
This time , the world saw what happened , bore witness to Black Americans who were asking for nothing more than to be treated like other Americans .
Who were not asking for special treatment , just the equal treatment promised to them a century before , and almost another century before that .
When John woke up , and checked himself out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sure the world saw a movement that was , in the words of Scripture , `` hard pressed on every side , but not crushed ; perplexed but not in despair ; persecuted , but not abandoned ; struck down , but not destroyed . ''
They returned to Brown Chapel , a battered prophet , bandages around his head , and he said more marchers will come now .
And the people came .
And the troopers parted .
And the marchers reached Montgomery .
And their words reached the White House @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the South , said `` We shall overcome , '' and the Voting Rights Act was signed into law .
The life of John Lewis was , in so many ways , exceptional .
It vindicated the faith in our founding , redeemed that faith ; that most American of ideas ; that idea that any of us ordinary people without rank or wealth or title or fame can somehow point out the imperfections of this nation , and come together , and challenge the status quo , and decide that it is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that we love until it more closely aligns with our highest ideals .
What a radical ideal .
What a revolutionary notion .
This idea that any of us , ordinary people , a young kid from Troy can stand up to the powers and principalities and say no this is n't right , this is n't true , this is n't just .
We can do better .
On the battlefield of justice , Americans like John , Americans like the Reverends Lowery and C.T .
Vivian , two other patriots that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of us that many Americans came to take for granted .
America was built by people like them .
America was built by John Lewises .
He as much as anyone in our history brought this country a little bit closer to our highest ideals .
And someday , when we do finish that long journey toward freedom ; when we do form a more perfect union – whether it 's years from now , or decades , or even if it takes another two centuries – John Lewis will be a founding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ better America .
And yet , as exceptional as John was , here 's the thing : John never believed that what he did was more than any citizen of this country can do .
I mentioned in the statement the day John passed , the thing about John was just how gentle and humble he was .
And despite this storied , remarkable career , he treated everyone with kindness and respect because it was innate to him – this idea that any of us can do what he did if we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that in all of us , there exists the capacity for great courage , that in all of us there is a longing to do what 's right , that in all of us there is a willingness to love all people , and to extend to them their God-given rights to dignity and respect .
So many of us lose that sense .
It 's taught out of us .
We start feeling as if , in fact , that we ca n't afford to extend kindness or decency to other people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we are above other people and looking down on them , and so often that 's encouraged in our culture .
But John always saw the best in us .
And he never gave up , and never stopped speaking out because he saw the best in us .
He believed in us even when we did n't believe in ourselves .
As a Congressman , he did n't rest ; he kept getting himself arrested .
As an old man , he did n't sit out any fight ; he sat in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ floor of the United States Capitol .
I know his staff was stressed .
But the testing of his faith produced perseverance .
He knew that the march is not yet over , that the race is not yet won , that we have not yet reached that blessed destination where we are judged by the content of our character .
He knew from his own life that progress is fragile ; that we have to be vigilant against the darker currents of this country 's history , of our own history , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and despair that can always rise again .
Bull Connor may be gone .
But today we witness with our own eyes police officers kneeling on the necks of Black Americans .
George Wallace may be gone .
But we can witness our federal government sending agents to use tear gas and batons against peaceful demonstrators .
We may no longer have to guess the number of jellybeans in a jar in order to cast a ballot .
But even as we sit here , there are those in power are doing their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by closing polling locations , and targeting minorities and students with restrictive ID laws , and attacking our voting rights with surgical precision , even undermining the postal service in the runup to an election that is going to be dependent on mailed-in ballots so people do n't get sick .
Now , I know this is a celebration of John 's life .
There are some who might say we should n't dwell on such things .
But that 's why I 'm talking about it .
John Lewis devoted his time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on democracy and what 's best in America that we are seeing circulate right now .
He knew that every single one of us has a God-given power .
And that the fate of this democracy depends on how we use it ; that democracy is n't automatic , it has to be nurtured , it has to be tended to , we have to work at it , it 's hard .
And so he knew it depends on whether we summon a measure , just a measure , of John 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and what 's wrong and call things as they are .
He said that as long as he had breath in his body , he would do everything he could to preserve this democracy .
That as long as we have breath in our bodies , we have to continue his cause .
If we want our children to grow up in a democracy – not just with elections , but a true democracy , a representative democracy , a big-hearted , tolerant , vibrant , inclusive America of perpetual self-creation – then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more like John .
We do n't have to do all the things he had to do because he did them for us .
But we have got to do something .
As the Lord instructed Paul , `` Do not be afraid , go on speaking ; do not be silent , for I am with you , and no one will attack you to harm you , for I have many in this city who are my people . ''
Just everybody 's just got to come out and vote .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the city but we ca n't do nothing .
Like John , we have got to keep getting into that good trouble .
He knew that nonviolent protest is patriotic ; a way to raise public awareness , put a spotlight on injustice , and make the powers that be uncomfortable .
Like John , we do n't have to choose between protest and politics , it is not an either-or situation , it is a both-and situation .
We have to engage in protests where that is effective but we also have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into laws and institutional practices .
That 's why John ran for Congress thirty-four years ago .
Like John , we have got to fight even harder for the most powerful tool we have , which is the right to vote .
The Voting Rights Act is one of the crowning achievements of our democracy .
It 's why John crossed that bridge .
It 's why he spilled his blood .
And by the way , it was the result of Democratic and Republican efforts .
President Bush , who spoke here @ @ @ @ @ @ @ signed its renewal when they were in office .
President Clinton did n't have to because it was the law when he arrived so instead he made a law that made it easier for people to register to vote .
But once the Supreme Court weakened the Voting Rights Act , some state legislatures unleashed a flood of laws designed specifically to make voting harder , especially , by the way , state legislatures where there is a lot of minority turnout and population growth .
That 's not necessarily a mystery or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on what John fought for .
It was an attack on our democratic freedoms .
And we should treat it as such .
If politicians want to honor John , and I 'm so grateful for the legacy of work of all the Congressional leaders who are here , but there 's a better way than a statement calling him a hero .
You want to honor John ?
Let 's honor him by revitalizing the law that he was willing to die for .
And by the way , naming it the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is a fine tribute .
But John would n't want us to stop there , trying to get back to where we already were .
Once we pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act , we should keep marching to make it even better .
By making sure every American is automatically registered to vote , including former inmates who 've earned their second chance .
By adding polling places , and expanding early voting , and making Election Day a national holiday , so if you are someone who is working in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ single mom who has got to go to her job and does n't get time off , you can still cast your ballot .
By guaranteeing that every American citizen has equal representation in our government , including the American citizens who live in Washington , D.C. and in Puerto Rico .
They are Americans .
By ending some of the partisan gerrymandering– so that all voters have the power to choose their politicians , not the other way around .
And if all this takes eliminating the filibuster – another Jim Crow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ God-given rights of every American , then that 's what we should do .
And yet , even if we do all this – even if every bogus voter suppression law was struck off the books today – we have got to be honest with ourselves that too many of us choose not to exercise the franchise ; that too many of our citizens believe their vote wo n't make a difference , or they buy into the cynicism that , by the way , is the central strategy of voter suppression , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ believing in your own power .
So we are also going to have to remember what John said : `` If you do n't do everything you can to change things , then they will remain the same .
You only pass this way once .
You have to give it all you have . ''
As long as young people are protesting in the streets , hoping real change takes hold , I 'm hopeful but we can not casually abandon them at the ballot box .
Not when few elections have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ levels , as this one .
We can not treat voting as an errand to run if we have some time .
We have to treat it as the most important action we can take on behalf of democracy .
Like John , we have to give it all we have .
I was proud that John Lewis was a friend of mine .
I met him when I was in law school .
He came to speak and I went up and I said , `` Mr. Lewis , you are one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more than anything as a young man was to see what you and Reverend Lawson and Bob Moses and Diane Nash and others did . ''
And he got that kind of – aw shucks , thank you very much .
The next time I saw him , I had been elected to the United States Senate .
And I told him , `` John , I am here because of you . ''
On Inauguration Day in 2008 , 2009 , he was one of the first people that I greeted and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ him , `` This is your day too . ''
He was a good and kind and gentle man .
And he believed in us – even when we do n't believe in ourselves .
It 's fitting that the last time John and I shared a public forum was on Zoom .
I am pretty sure that neither he nor I set up the Zoom call because we did n't know how to work it .
It was a virtual town hall with a gathering of young activists who had been helping @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the wake of George Floyd 's death .
And afterwards , I spoke to John privately , and he could not have been prouder to see this new generation of activists standing up for freedom and equality ; a new generation that was intent on voting and protecting the right to vote ; in some cases , a new generation running for political office .
I told him , all those young people , John – of every race and every religion , from every background and gender and sexual orientation – John @ @ @ @ @ @ @ learned from your example , even if they did n't always know it .
They had understood , through him , what American citizenship requires , even if they had only heard about his courage through the history books .
`` By the thousands , faceless , anonymous , relentless young people , black and white ... have taken our whole nation back to those great wells of democracy which were dug deep by the founding fathers in the formulation of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence . ''
Dr. King said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ came true again this summer .
We see it outside our windows , in big cities and rural towns , in men and women , young and old , straight Americans and LGBTQ Americans , Blacks who long for equal treatment and whites who can no longer accept freedom for themselves while witnessing the subjugation of their fellow Americans .
We see it in everybody doing the hard work of overcoming complacency , of overcoming our own fears and our own prejudices , our own hatreds .
You see it in people trying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ourselves .
And that 's what John Lewis teaches us .
That 's where real courage comes from .
Not from turning on each other , but by turning towards one another .
Not by sowing hatred and division , but by spreading love and truth .
Not by avoiding our responsibilities to create a better America and a better world , but by embracing those responsibilities with with joy and perseverance and discovering that in our beloved community , we do not walk alone .
What a gift John Lewis was .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ had him walk with us for a while , and show us the way .
God bless you all .
God bless America .
God bless this gentle soul who pulled it closer to its promise .

TRANSCRIPT: 'What A Gift John Lewis Was': Obama Eulogizes His Friend And Hero
Enlarge this image toggle caption Alyssa Pointer/Pool / Getty Images Alyssa Pointer/Pool / Getty Images
"I was proud that John Lewis was a friend of mine," former President Barack Obama said on Thursday, delivering an emotional eulogy for the civil rights leader who was an inspiration for America's first Black president.
Lewis was a mentor and a hero to him, Obama said in a 40-minute speech. Speaking from the former pulpit of Dr. Martin Luther King at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Obama praised the late Congress member's commitment to protest and advocacy that drove him onto the Edmund Pettus Bridge and into decades of public service.
"He believed that in all of us, there exists the capacity for great courage," Obama said, "that in all of us there is a longing to do what's right, that in all of us there is a willingness to love all people, and to extend to them their God-given rights to dignity and respect."
The two first met when Obama was in law school. From there, they had encounters at landmark events in Obama's life, from his arrival in the U.S. Senate to his presidential inauguration.
"I told him, I'm here because of you," Obama said of talking to Lewis as a congressional colleague.
"He was a good and kind and gentle man," Obama said, "and he believed in us, even when we don't believe in ourselves."
YouTube
Below, the full transcript of Obama's eulogy for Lewis:
Remarks of President Barack Obama
Eulogy for John Lewis
Ebenezer Baptist Church, Atlanta, Georgia
July 30, 2020
As Delivered
James wrote to the believers, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing."
It is a great honor to be back in Ebenezer Baptist Church, in the pulpit of its greatest pastor, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., to pay my respects to perhaps his finest disciple – an American whose faith was tested again and again to produce a man of pure joy and unbreakable perseverance – John Robert Lewis.
To those who have spoken to Presidents Bush and Clinton, Madam Speaker, Reverend Warnock, Reverend King, John's family, friends, his beloved staff, Mayor Bottoms – I've come here today because I, like so many Americans, owe a great debt to John Lewis and his forceful vision of freedom.
Now, this country is a constant work in progress. We were born with instructions: to form a more perfect union. Explicit in those words is the idea that we are imperfect; that what gives each new generation purpose is to take up the unfinished work of the last and carry it further than anyone might have thought possible.
John Lewis – the first of the Freedom Riders, head of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, youngest speaker at the March on Washington, leader of the march from Selma to Montgomery, Member of Congress representing the people of this state and this district for 33 years, mentor to young people, including me at the time, until his final day on this Earth – he not only embraced that responsibility, but he made it his life's work.
Which isn't bad for a boy from Troy. John was born into modest means – that means he was poor – in the heart of the Jim Crow South to parents who picked somebody else's cotton. Apparently, he didn't take to farm work – on days when he was supposed to help his brothers and sisters with their labor, he'd hide under the porch and make a break for the school bus when it showed up. His mother, Willie Mae Lewis, nurtured that curiosity in this shy, serious child. "Once you learn something," she told her son, "once you get something inside your head, no one can take it away from you."
As a boy, John listened through the door after bedtime as his father's friends complained about the Klan. One Sunday as a teenager, he heard Dr. King preach on the radio. As a college student in Tennessee, he signed up for Jim Lawson's workshops on the tactic of nonviolent civil disobedience. John Lewis was getting something inside his head, an idea he couldn't shake that took hold of him – that nonviolent resistance and civil disobedience were the means to change laws, but also change hearts, and change minds, and change nations, and change the world.
So he helped organize the Nashville campaign in 1960. He and other young men and women sat at a segregated lunch counter, well-dressed, straight-backed, refusing to let a milkshake poured on their heads, or a cigarette extinguished on their backs, or a foot aimed at their ribs, refused to let that dent their dignity and their sense of purpose. And after a few months, the Nashville campaign achieved the first successful desegregation of public facilities in any major city in the South.
John got a taste of jail for the first, second, third ... well, several times. But he also got a taste of victory. And it consumed him with righteous purpose. And he took the battle deeper into the South.
That same year, just weeks after the Supreme Court ruled that segregation of interstate bus facilities was unconstitutional, John and Bernard Lafayette bought two tickets, climbed aboard a Greyhound, sat up front, and refused to move. This was months before the first official Freedom Rides. He was doing a test. The trip was unsanctioned. Few knew what they were up to. And at every stop, through the night, apparently the angry driver stormed out of the bus and into the bus station. And John and Bernard had no idea what he might come back with or who he might come back with. Nobody was there to protect them. There were no camera crews to record events. You know, sometimes, we read about this and kind of take it for granted. Or at least we act as if it was inevitable. Imagine the courage of two people Malia's age, younger than my oldest daughter, on their own, to challenge an entire infrastructure of oppression.
John was only twenty years old. But he pushed all twenty of those years to the center of the table, betting everything, all of it, that his example could challenge centuries of convention, and generations of brutal violence, and countless daily indignities suffered by African Americans.
Like John the Baptist preparing the way, like those Old Testament prophets speaking truth to kings, John Lewis did not hesitate – he kept on getting on board buses and sitting at lunch counters, got his mugshot taken again and again, marched again and again on a mission to change America.
Spoke to a quarter million people at the March on Washington when he was just 23.
Helped organize the Freedom Summer in Mississippi when he was just 24.
At the ripe old age of 25, John was asked to lead the march from Selma to Montgomery. He was warned that Governor Wallace had ordered troopers to use violence. But he and Hosea Williams and others led them across that bridge anyway. And we've all seen the film and the footage and the photographs, and President Clinton mentioned the trench coat, the knapsack, the book to read, the apple to eat, the toothbrush – apparently jails weren't big on such creature comforts. And you look at those pictures and John looks so young and he's small in stature. Looking every bit that shy, serious child that his mother had raised and yet, he is full of purpose. God's put perserverence in him.
And we know what happened to the marchers that day. Their bones were cracked by billy clubs, their eyes and lungs choked with tear gas. As they knelt to pray, which made their heads even easier targets, and John was struck in the skull. And he thought he was going to die, surrounded by the sight of young Americans gagging, and bleeding, and trampled, victims in their own country of state-sponsored violence.
And the thing is, I imagine initially that day, the troopers thought that they had won the battle. You can imagine the conversations they had afterwards. You can imagine them saying, "yeah, we showed them." They figured they'd turned the protesters back over the bridge; that they'd kept, that they'd preserved a system that denied the basic humanity of their fellow citizens. Except this time, there were some cameras there. This time, the world saw what happened, bore witness to Black Americans who were asking for nothing more than to be treated like other Americans. Who were not asking for special treatment, just the equal treatment promised to them a century before, and almost another century before that.
When John woke up, and checked himself out of the hospital, he would make sure the world saw a movement that was, in the words of Scripture, "hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed." They returned to Brown Chapel, a battered prophet, bandages around his head, and he said more marchers will come now. And the people came. And the troopers parted. And the marchers reached Montgomery. And their words reached the White House – and Lyndon Johnson, son of the South, said "We shall overcome," and the Voting Rights Act was signed into law.
The life of John Lewis was, in so many ways, exceptional. It vindicated the faith in our founding, redeemed that faith; that most American of ideas; that idea that any of us ordinary people without rank or wealth or title or fame can somehow point out the imperfections of this nation, and come together, and challenge the status quo, and decide that it is in our power to remake this country that we love until it more closely aligns with our highest ideals. What a radical ideal. What a revolutionary notion. This idea that any of us, ordinary people, a young kid from Troy can stand up to the powers and principalities and say no this isn't right, this isn't true, this isn't just. We can do better. On the battlefield of justice, Americans like John, Americans like the Reverends Lowery and C.T. Vivian, two other patriots that we lost this year, liberated all of us that many Americans came to take for granted.
America was built by people like them. America was built by John Lewises. He as much as anyone in our history brought this country a little bit closer to our highest ideals. And someday, when we do finish that long journey toward freedom; when we do form a more perfect union – whether it's years from now, or decades, or even if it takes another two centuries – John Lewis will be a founding father of that fuller, fairer, better America.
And yet, as exceptional as John was, here's the thing: John never believed that what he did was more than any citizen of this country can do. I mentioned in the statement the day John passed, the thing about John was just how gentle and humble he was. And despite this storied, remarkable career, he treated everyone with kindness and respect because it was innate to him – this idea that any of us can do what he did if we are willing to persevere.
He believed that in all of us, there exists the capacity for great courage, that in all of us there is a longing to do what's right, that in all of us there is a willingness to love all people, and to extend to them their God-given rights to dignity and respect. So many of us lose that sense. It's taught out of us. We start feeling as if, in fact, that we can't afford to extend kindness or decency to other people. That we're better off if we are above other people and looking down on them, and so often that's encouraged in our culture. But John always saw the best in us. And he never gave up, and never stopped speaking out because he saw the best in us. He believed in us even when we didn't believe in ourselves. As a Congressman, he didn't rest; he kept getting himself arrested. As an old man, he didn't sit out any fight; he sat in, all night long, on the floor of the United States Capitol. I know his staff was stressed.
But the testing of his faith produced perseverance. He knew that the march is not yet over, that the race is not yet won, that we have not yet reached that blessed destination where we are judged by the content of our character. He knew from his own life that progress is fragile; that we have to be vigilant against the darker currents of this country's history, of our own history, with their whirlpools of violence and hatred and despair that can always rise again.
Bull Connor may be gone. But today we witness with our own eyes police officers kneeling on the necks of Black Americans. George Wallace may be gone. But we can witness our federal government sending agents to use tear gas and batons against peaceful demonstrators. We may no longer have to guess the number of jellybeans in a jar in order to cast a ballot. But even as we sit here, there are those in power are doing their darnedest to discourage people from voting – by closing polling locations, and targeting minorities and students with restrictive ID laws, and attacking our voting rights with surgical precision, even undermining the postal service in the runup to an election that is going to be dependent on mailed-in ballots so people don't get sick.
Now, I know this is a celebration of John's life. There are some who might say we shouldn't dwell on such things. But that's why I'm talking about it. John Lewis devoted his time on this Earth fighting the very attacks on democracy and what's best in America that we are seeing circulate right now.
He knew that every single one of us has a God-given power. And that the fate of this democracy depends on how we use it; that democracy isn't automatic, it has to be nurtured, it has to be tended to, we have to work at it, it's hard. And so he knew it depends on whether we summon a measure, just a measure, of John's moral courage to question what's right and what's wrong and call things as they are. He said that as long as he had breath in his body, he would do everything he could to preserve this democracy. That as long as we have breath in our bodies, we have to continue his cause. If we want our children to grow up in a democracy – not just with elections, but a true democracy, a representative democracy, a big-hearted, tolerant, vibrant, inclusive America of perpetual self-creation – then we are going to have to be more like John. We don't have to do all the things he had to do because he did them for us. But we have got to do something. As the Lord instructed Paul, "Do not be afraid, go on speaking; do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people." Just everybody's just got to come out and vote. We've got all those people in the city but we can't do nothing.
Like John, we have got to keep getting into that good trouble. He knew that nonviolent protest is patriotic; a way to raise public awareness, put a spotlight on injustice, and make the powers that be uncomfortable.
Like John, we don't have to choose between protest and politics, it is not an either-or situation, it is a both-and situation. We have to engage in protests where that is effective but we also have to translate our passion and our causes into laws and institutional practices. That's why John ran for Congress thirty-four years ago.
Like John, we have got to fight even harder for the most powerful tool we have, which is the right to vote. The Voting Rights Act is one of the crowning achievements of our democracy. It's why John crossed that bridge. It's why he spilled his blood. And by the way, it was the result of Democratic and Republican efforts. President Bush, who spoke here earlier, and his father, both signed its renewal when they were in office. President Clinton didn't have to because it was the law when he arrived so instead he made a law that made it easier for people to register to vote.
But once the Supreme Court weakened the Voting Rights Act, some state legislatures unleashed a flood of laws designed specifically to make voting harder, especially, by the way, state legislatures where there is a lot of minority turnout and population growth. That's not necessarily a mystery or an accident. It was an attack on what John fought for. It was an attack on our democratic freedoms. And we should treat it as such.
If politicians want to honor John, and I'm so grateful for the legacy of work of all the Congressional leaders who are here, but there's a better way than a statement calling him a hero. You want to honor John? Let's honor him by revitalizing the law that he was willing to die for. And by the way, naming it the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, that is a fine tribute. But John wouldn't want us to stop there, trying to get back to where we already were. Once we pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, we should keep marching to make it even better.
By making sure every American is automatically registered to vote, including former inmates who've earned their second chance.
By adding polling places, and expanding early voting, and making Election Day a national holiday, so if you are someone who is working in a factory, or you are a single mom who has got to go to her job and doesn't get time off, you can still cast your ballot.
By guaranteeing that every American citizen has equal representation in our government, including the American citizens who live in Washington, D.C. and in Puerto Rico. They are Americans.
By ending some of the partisan gerrymandering– so that all voters have the power to choose their politicians, not the other way around.
And if all this takes eliminating the filibuster – another Jim Crow relic – in order to secure the God-given rights of every American, then that's what we should do.
And yet, even if we do all this – even if every bogus voter suppression law was struck off the books today – we have got to be honest with ourselves that too many of us choose not to exercise the franchise; that too many of our citizens believe their vote won't make a difference, or they buy into the cynicism that, by the way, is the central strategy of voter suppression, to make you discouraged, to stop believing in your own power.
So we are also going to have to remember what John said: "If you don't do everything you can to change things, then they will remain the same. You only pass this way once. You have to give it all you have." As long as young people are protesting in the streets, hoping real change takes hold, I'm hopeful but we cannot casually abandon them at the ballot box. Not when few elections have been as urgent, on so many levels, as this one. We cannot treat voting as an errand to run if we have some time. We have to treat it as the most important action we can take on behalf of democracy.
Like John, we have to give it all we have.
I was proud that John Lewis was a friend of mine. I met him when I was in law school. He came to speak and I went up and I said, "Mr. Lewis, you are one of my heroes. What inspired me more than anything as a young man was to see what you and Reverend Lawson and Bob Moses and Diane Nash and others did." And he got that kind of – aw shucks, thank you very much.
The next time I saw him, I had been elected to the United States Senate. And I told him, "John, I am here because of you." On Inauguration Day in 2008, 2009, he was one of the first people that I greeted and hugged on that stand. I told him, "This is your day too."
He was a good and kind and gentle man. And he believed in us – even when we don't believe in ourselves. It's fitting that the last time John and I shared a public forum was on Zoom. I am pretty sure that neither he nor I set up the Zoom call because we didn't know how to work it. It was a virtual town hall with a gathering of young activists who had been helping to lead this summer's demonstrations in the wake of George Floyd's death. And afterwards, I spoke to John privately, and he could not have been prouder to see this new generation of activists standing up for freedom and equality; a new generation that was intent on voting and protecting the right to vote; in some cases, a new generation running for political office.
I told him, all those young people, John – of every race and every religion, from every background and gender and sexual orientation – John, those are your children. They learned from your example, even if they didn't always know it. They had understood, through him, what American citizenship requires, even if they had only heard about his courage through the history books.
"By the thousands, faceless, anonymous, relentless young people, black and white...have taken our whole nation back to those great wells of democracy which were dug deep by the founding fathers in the formulation of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence."
Dr. King said that in the 1960s. And it came true again this summer.
We see it outside our windows, in big cities and rural towns, in men and women, young and old, straight Americans and LGBTQ Americans, Blacks who long for equal treatment and whites who can no longer accept freedom for themselves while witnessing the subjugation of their fellow Americans. We see it in everybody doing the hard work of overcoming complacency, of overcoming our own fears and our own prejudices, our own hatreds. You see it in people trying to be better, truer versions of ourselves.
And that's what John Lewis teaches us. That's where real courage comes from. Not from turning on each other, but by turning towards one another. Not by sowing hatred and division, but by spreading love and truth. Not by avoiding our responsibilities to create a better America and a better world, but by embracing those responsibilities with with joy and perseverance and discovering that in our beloved community, we do not walk alone.
What a gift John Lewis was. We are all so lucky to have had him walk with us for a while, and show us the way.
God bless you all. God bless America. God bless this gentle soul who pulled it closer to its promise.


npr--2020-07-30--HBCU President: 'I Slept Better' After Deciding On All Online Classes In The Fall

HBCU President : ' I Slept Better ' After Deciding On All Online Classes In The Fall Historically Black colleges and universities have an extra factor to consider as they plan on how to operate this next school year : Black communities are disproportionately impacted by the pandemic .
According to the COVID Racial Data Tracker , Black people are dying from the coronavirus at two and a half times the rate of white people .
Colette Pierce Burnette is the president of Huston-Tillotson University , a small , private HBCU in Austin , Texas .
She recently announced that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be returning in the fall , but that all classes will be online .
`` We must have looked at over a dozen different scenarios — from being fully online to being fully on ground here on campus , '' she tells All Things Considered .
`` The students ' health , the safety of our faculty , our staff , the people who work here , was paramount . ''
To help address technology barriers that students face , Burnette says the school will supply tablets to all students enrolled for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hotspots .
Here are excerpts from her interview .
Why did you ultimately come to the decision to go fully online as opposed to online in a limited way , but still have some in-person , socially distanced components to the curriculum in the upcoming year ?
We followed the science .
... We have a small , intimate campus .
When you look at social distancing of young people , the age of the people who serve our students , the race of the people who serve our students , as well @ @ @ @ @ @ @ [ personal protective equipment ] , testing , quarantining , it becomes overwhelming for a small school such as us .
And then you add on top of that my concern for the safety and well-being of our students .
It ended up being a complicated decision to make , a very hard decision to make , but I slept better that night once the campus decided that this is the best thing for us to do .
... And it 's temporary .
It 's not long lasting .
We are not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you feel your responsibility , as the leader of an HBCU , compares to the responsibilities of a leader of another college during this time ?
What feels different about your job ?
My role as an HBCU president , of what I consider to be a jewel in a prosperous city like Austin , yet is somewhat fragile because of the population that we serve .
It 's expensive to serve people who are low income .
And sometimes I listen to some of my fellow presidents ... of large majority institutions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who worry about making payroll or worry about enrollment , worry about the challenges — known and unknown — that COVID-19 has placed on us because we ca n't do business as usual .
... That 's my life as an HBCU president every day .
It 's compounded now by a crisis .
And I believe that my brother and sister presidents of my fellow HBCUs ... we are postured for a moment such as this .
You 're almost groomed for a moment such as this , to guide your institution @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be through an era of discrimination , the civil rights movement , Jim Crow laws .
My institution is 145 years old .
We 're the oldest institution of higher learning in Austin — we 're older than the University of Texas .
So this scrapping , this being innovative , this taking a deep breath , stepping back and serving your students because you care so deeply about the mission , it 's personal .
That 's not new .

HBCU President: 'I Slept Better' After Deciding On All Online Classes In The Fall
Enlarge this image toggle caption Hadewumi Hadewumi
Historically Black colleges and universities have an extra factor to consider as they plan on how to operate this next school year: Black communities are disproportionately impacted by the pandemic.
According to the COVID Racial Data Tracker, Black people are dying from the coronavirus at two and a half times the rate of white people.
Colette Pierce Burnette is the president of Huston-Tillotson University, a small, private HBCU in Austin, Texas. She recently announced that the school's 1,100 students will not be returning in the fall, but that all classes will be online.
"We must have looked at over a dozen different scenarios — from being fully online to being fully on ground here on campus," she tells All Things Considered. "The students' health, the safety of our faculty, our staff, the people who work here, was paramount."
To help address technology barriers that students face, Burnette says the school will supply tablets to all students enrolled for the fall and provide internet access through mobile hotspots.
Here are excerpts from her interview.
Why did you ultimately come to the decision to go fully online as opposed to online in a limited way, but still have some in-person, socially distanced components to the curriculum in the upcoming year?
We followed the science. ... We have a small, intimate campus. When you look at social distancing of young people, the age of the people who serve our students, the race of the people who serve our students, as well as the cost associated with the PPE [personal protective equipment], testing, quarantining, it becomes overwhelming for a small school such as us.
And then you add on top of that my concern for the safety and well-being of our students. It ended up being a complicated decision to make, a very hard decision to make, but I slept better that night once the campus decided that this is the best thing for us to do. ... And it's temporary. It's not long lasting. We are not becoming an online school.
How do you feel your responsibility, as the leader of an HBCU, compares to the responsibilities of a leader of another college during this time? What feels different about your job?
My role as an HBCU president, of what I consider to be a jewel in a prosperous city like Austin, yet is somewhat fragile because of the population that we serve. It's expensive to serve people who are low income.
And sometimes I listen to some of my fellow presidents ... of large majority institutions or majority institutions of similar size, who worry about making payroll or worry about enrollment, worry about the challenges — known and unknown — that COVID-19 has placed on us because we can't do business as usual. ... That's my life as an HBCU president every day. It's compounded now by a crisis. And I believe that my brother and sister presidents of my fellow HBCUs ... we are postured for a moment such as this. You're almost groomed for a moment such as this, to guide your institution through an unexpected storm, whether it be through an era of discrimination, the civil rights movement, Jim Crow laws.
My institution is 145 years old. We're the oldest institution of higher learning in Austin — we're older than the University of Texas. So this scrapping, this being innovative, this taking a deep breath, stepping back and serving your students because you care so deeply about the mission, it's personal. That's not new.


npr--2020-07-30--Amazon Doubles Profit To $5.2 Billion As Online Shopping Spikes

Spikes in online shopping during the pandemic helped Amazon net $ 5.2 billion in profits as its sales soared to record highs between April and June .
Amazon 's sales jumped 40 % in the second quarter compared with a year earlier , hitting close to $ 89 billion , the company reported on Thursday .
The retailer managed to double its profits even as it spent more than $ 4 billion on coronavirus-related expenses and added 175,000 new hires to help keep up with demand .
Amazon 's results came the same day that the Commerce Department reported the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which has left many retailers and restaurants struggling to survive .
But Amazon was among a few major retailers that saw a huge surge in shopping when the coronavirus forced Americans to hole up at home , where they turned in droves to online options , including for grocery deliveries .
Amazon 's shares hit all-time record value this month .
On a call with reporters on Thursday , Amazon executives cited several reasons for the company 's blockbuster quarter .
Mainly , Americans shopped — a lot .
First it was pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cleaning supplies , which are less profitable .
But into the late spring , shopping became more normal , Amazon Chief Financial Officer Brian Olsavsky told reporters .
Online grocery sales tripled , he said .
Plus , Amazon said more people signed up for or renewed the Prime membership , which in the U.S. costs $ 119 a year .
In turn , Prime subscribers have been prolific shoppers — buying more , and more frequently .
Also , early on , the retailer was n't sure whether it could keep up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of delays and other glitches with Amazon 's service .
But by late spring and early summer , the company was able to ship more than expected .
Amazon 's cloud-services business grew as well as more people have been working remotely during the pandemic .
`` This was another highly unusual quarter , and I could n't be more proud of and grateful to our employees around the globe , '' CEO Jeff Bezos said in a statement .
Asked whether Amazon would consider reinstating a temporary pay bump of $ 2 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , company executives declined to comment on a call with reporters .
The company now employs over 1 million permanent and temporary workers , most of them in warehouses .
Amazon 's report is also one in a crush of tech earnings on Thursday — with Facebook , Google and Apple all reporting as well — following the marquee testimony of all four CEOs in Congress on Wednesday about their companies ' power , reach and growing influence during the pandemic .
Amazon 's Bezos , appearing before lawmakers for the first time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the company 's treatment of other merchants on its platform , where third-party sellers now account for some 60 % of sales .
In an unexpected concession , Bezos said he could not guarantee that Amazon never used data it collected from other sellers to make its own products .
Editor 's note : Amazon is among NPR 's financial supporters .

Amazon Doubles Profit To $5.2 Billion As Online Shopping Spikes
Enlarge this image toggle caption Denis Charlet/AFP/Getty Images Denis Charlet/AFP/Getty Images
Updated at 8:35 p.m. ET
Spikes in online shopping during the pandemic helped Amazon net $5.2 billion in profits as its sales soared to record highs between April and June.
Amazon's sales jumped 40% in the second quarter compared with a year earlier, hitting close to $89 billion, the company reported on Thursday. The retailer managed to double its profits even as it spent more than $4 billion on coronavirus-related expenses and added 175,000 new hires to help keep up with demand.
Amazon's results came the same day that the Commerce Department reported the sharpest economic contraction in modern history, which has left many retailers and restaurants struggling to survive.
But Amazon was among a few major retailers that saw a huge surge in shopping when the coronavirus forced Americans to hole up at home, where they turned in droves to online options, including for grocery deliveries. Amazon's shares hit all-time record value this month.
On a call with reporters on Thursday, Amazon executives cited several reasons for the company's blockbuster quarter.
Mainly, Americans shopped — a lot. First it was pandemic essentials such as food, masks and cleaning supplies, which are less profitable. But into the late spring, shopping became more normal, Amazon Chief Financial Officer Brian Olsavsky told reporters. Online grocery sales tripled, he said.
Plus, Amazon said more people signed up for or renewed the Prime membership, which in the U.S. costs $119 a year. In turn, Prime subscribers have been prolific shoppers — buying more, and more frequently.
Also, early on, the retailer wasn't sure whether it could keep up with shipping needs, as customers complained of delays and other glitches with Amazon's service. But by late spring and early summer, the company was able to ship more than expected.
Amazon's cloud-services business grew as well as more people have been working remotely during the pandemic.
"This was another highly unusual quarter, and I couldn't be more proud of and grateful to our employees around the globe," CEO Jeff Bezos said in a statement.
Asked whether Amazon would consider reinstating a temporary pay bump of $2 an hour for warehouse and delivery workers, company executives declined to comment on a call with reporters. The company now employs over 1 million permanent and temporary workers, most of them in warehouses.
Amazon's report is also one in a crush of tech earnings on Thursday — with Facebook, Google and Apple all reporting as well — following the marquee testimony of all four CEOs in Congress on Wednesday about their companies' power, reach and growing influence during the pandemic.
Amazon's Bezos, appearing before lawmakers for the first time, fielded a lot of questions about the company's treatment of other merchants on its platform, where third-party sellers now account for some 60% of sales. In an unexpected concession, Bezos said he could not guarantee that Amazon never used data it collected from other sellers to make its own products.
Editor's note: Amazon is among NPR's financial supporters.


npr--2020-07-30--'This Is History': NBA To Hold First Games In 'Bubble' Amid Pandemic

'This Is History ' : NBA To Hold First Games In 'Bubble ' Amid Pandemic The NBA will have its first revamped games of the 2019-2020 season on Thursday evening , after the global coronavirus pandemic wreaked havoc on the world of professional sports .
This evening , the Utah Jazz will face off against the New Orleans Pelicans .
Later , the two teams from Los Angeles , the Clippers and the Lakers , will play the second and final game of the night .
Players have been based at Walt Disney World Resort just outside of Orlando , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ health and safety measures .
The NBA is experimenting with keeping players in the so-called `` bubble '' to try to keep the coronavirus from seeping into its ranks .
Other major league sports , including the NHL and MLB , have already started or are preparing to start seasons that have been halted or delayed by the virus .
This has not been without its complications , however .
In baseball , at least more than 80 players and two dozen staffers have tested positive for the illness .
On the Miami @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and two coaches have been confirmed positive for the virus .
In the NBA , only 22 of the league 's 30 teams will play in the truncated season , which will include eight more regular season games for each team .
Despite the strictness of the NBA lockdown , many players are taking it in stride , documenting their experiences of living in isolation with one another .
`` It 's an amazing thing , and it 's like history .
This has never been done before .
This is something that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unless COVID is still around .
So this is history .
And to be a part of it is just a blessing , '' Lakers center JaVale McGee said in an interview with NPR .

'This Is History': NBA To Hold First Games In 'Bubble' Amid Pandemic
Enlarge this image toggle caption Harry How/Getty Images Harry How/Getty Images
The NBA will have its first revamped games of the 2019-2020 season on Thursday evening, after the global coronavirus pandemic wreaked havoc on the world of professional sports.
This evening, the Utah Jazz will face off against the New Orleans Pelicans. Later, the two teams from Los Angeles, the Clippers and the Lakers, will play the second and final game of the night.
Players have been based at Walt Disney World Resort just outside of Orlando, Fla., since early July under strict health and safety measures.
The NBA is experimenting with keeping players in the so-called "bubble" to try to keep the coronavirus from seeping into its ranks.
Other major league sports, including the NHL and MLB, have already started or are preparing to start seasons that have been halted or delayed by the virus.
This has not been without its complications, however. In baseball, at least more than 80 players and two dozen staffers have tested positive for the illness. On the Miami Marlins alone, at least 17 players and two coaches have been confirmed positive for the virus.
In the NBA, only 22 of the league's 30 teams will play in the truncated season, which will include eight more regular season games for each team.
Despite the strictness of the NBA lockdown, many players are taking it in stride, documenting their experiences of living in isolation with one another.
"It's an amazing thing, and it's like history. This has never been done before. This is something that probably won't ever be done again unless COVID is still around. So this is history. And to be a part of it is just a blessing," Lakers center JaVale McGee said in an interview with NPR.


npr--2020-07-30--Army Names Independent Panel in Fort Hood Review, Following Vanessa Guillen Killing

The U.S. Army on Thursday named its five-person civilian panel that will conduct a review of the culture at Fort Hood in Killeen , Texas , following the death and dismemberment of a 20-year-old soldier who had been stationed at the base .
`` The Army is committed to taking care of our Soldiers , civilians , families , and Soldiers for life , and this independent review will explore the current command climate and culture at Fort Hood , '' Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy said in a statement .
The members of the panel are : Chris @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Queta Rodriguez and Jack White .
Their findings will be submitted to Under Secretary of the Army James McPherson and Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Joseph Martin , who will review the results and decide what , if any , changes to implement .
The panel is convening in response to the killing of 20-year-old soldier Vanessa Guillen , whose remains were found in June .
Her family , who on Thursday met with President Trump , said that she had complained that she was being sexually harassed by a fellow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ case , 20-year-old Aaron David Robinson , who was also stationed at Fort Hood , killed himself earlier this month .
Another suspect , 22-year-old Cecily Aguilar , has been arrested and charged with one count of conspiracy to tamper with evidence .
In a press release , the Army said the purpose of the review would be to `` determine whether the command climate and culture at Fort Hood , and the surrounding military community , reflects the Army 's values , including safety , respect , inclusiveness , and a commitment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ free from sexual harassment . ''
`` The panel will review historical data and conduct interviews with military members , civilians and members of the local community . ''
In a Thursday meeting between Trump and Guillen 's family , the president said the killing would be investigated `` very powerfully '' and offered to help the family pay for her funeral .
Trump said the investigation will `` get to the bottom of it .
Maybe things can come out that will help other people in a situation like Vanessa . ''

Army Names Independent Panel In Fort Hood Review, Following Vanessa Guillen Killing
Enlarge this image toggle caption Pool/Getty Images Pool/Getty Images
The U.S. Army on Thursday named its five-person civilian panel that will conduct a review of the culture at Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas, following the death and dismemberment of a 20-year-old soldier who had been stationed at the base.
"The Army is committed to taking care of our Soldiers, civilians, families, and Soldiers for life, and this independent review will explore the current command climate and culture at Fort Hood," Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy said in a statement.
The members of the panel are: Chris Swecker, Jonathan Harmon, Carrie Ricci, Queta Rodriguez and Jack White. Their findings will be submitted to Under Secretary of the Army James McPherson and Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Joseph Martin, who will review the results and decide what, if any, changes to implement.
The panel is convening in response to the killing of 20-year-old soldier Vanessa Guillen, whose remains were found in June. Her family, who on Thursday met with President Trump, said that she had complained that she was being sexually harassed by a fellow service member.
One suspect in the case, 20-year-old Aaron David Robinson, who was also stationed at Fort Hood, killed himself earlier this month. Another suspect, 22-year-old Cecily Aguilar, has been arrested and charged with one count of conspiracy to tamper with evidence.
In a press release, the Army said the purpose of the review would be to "determine whether the command climate and culture at Fort Hood, and the surrounding military community, reflects the Army's values, including safety, respect, inclusiveness, and a commitment to diversity, and workplaces and communities free from sexual harassment."
"The panel will review historical data and conduct interviews with military members, civilians and members of the local community."
In a Thursday meeting between Trump and Guillen's family, the president said the killing would be investigated "very powerfully" and offered to help the family pay for her funeral.
Trump said the investigation will "get to the bottom of it. Maybe things can come out that will help other people in a situation like Vanessa."


npr--2020-07-30--Philadelphia Phillies Put Brakes On Home Games After Coronavirus Cases

A week after Major League Baseball 's pandemic-shortened regular season began , another team is altering its schedule because of positive test results for the coronavirus .
The Philadelphia Phillies announced Thursday they 've shut down their ballpark and an upcoming series of games has been postponed .
The Phillies were the last team to play the Miami Marlins before the Marlins paused their schedule this week due to a coronavirus outbreak .
Now the Phillies are dealing with the virus .
In a statement , the team said a member of the coaching staff and a member of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tested Wednesday .
No players tested positive for the coronavirus .
The team said it 's canceling all activity at Citizens Bank Park until further notice .
The Phillies played several games against the Marlins last weekend when Miami began reporting an outbreak that 's now infected at least 19 players and coaches .
The Marlins postponed games through this week .
They 've said they 'll restart early next week .
Their next scheduled game , ironically , is against Philadelphia , in Miami .
Because of their contact with the Marlins @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this week against the New York Yankees .
Philadelphia was scheduled to resume play on Saturday against Toronto .
But Thursday , Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo said the weekend series had been postponed .
Hours later , Major League Baseball confirmed the three games in Philadelphia were called off `` out of an abundance of caution . ''
In a statement , MLB said it `` will coordinate with health experts and the Major League Baseball Players Association in planning for the Phillies resumption of play , and will provide further scheduling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ week , Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said on MLB Network baseball 's comprehensive health and safety protocols were built `` to allow us to continue to play . ''
But with the Marlins and now the Phillies paused , the challenges of playing during a surging pandemic are becoming obvious .
Especially for baseball , which is playing in 30 cities and teams are travelling and they 're not in a protective bubble like the NBA .
That league restarted its regular season Thursday after this week reporting zero cases of COVID-19 from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ players living and playing on a single-site campus at the Walt Disney World resort near Orlando , Fla .

Philadelphia Phillies Put Brakes On Home Games After Coronavirus Cases
Enlarge this image toggle caption Hunter Martin/Getty Images Hunter Martin/Getty Images
Updated at 6:40 p.m.
A week after Major League Baseball's pandemic-shortened regular season began, another team is altering its schedule because of positive test results for the coronavirus.
The Philadelphia Phillies announced Thursday they've shut down their ballpark and an upcoming series of games has been postponed. The Phillies were the last team to play the Miami Marlins before the Marlins paused their schedule this week due to a coronavirus outbreak.
Now the Phillies are dealing with the virus.
In a statement, the team said a member of the coaching staff and a member of the home clubhouse staff were positive after being tested Wednesday. No players tested positive for the coronavirus. The team said it's canceling all activity at Citizens Bank Park until further notice.
The Phillies played several games against the Marlins last weekend when Miami began reporting an outbreak that's now infected at least 19 players and coaches. The Marlins postponed games through this week. They've said they'll restart early next week. Their next scheduled game, ironically, is against Philadelphia, in Miami.
Because of their contact with the Marlins, the Phillies had several games postponed this week against the New York Yankees. Philadelphia was scheduled to resume play on Saturday against Toronto. But Thursday, Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo said the weekend series had been postponed.
Hours later, Major League Baseball confirmed the three games in Philadelphia were called off "out of an abundance of caution."
In a statement, MLB said it "will coordinate with health experts and the Major League Baseball Players Association in planning for the Phillies resumption of play, and will provide further scheduling updates as necessary."
Earlier this week, Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said on MLB Network baseball's comprehensive health and safety protocols were built "to allow us to continue to play."
But with the Marlins and now the Phillies paused, the challenges of playing during a surging pandemic are becoming obvious. Especially for baseball, which is playing in 30 cities and teams are travelling and they're not in a protective bubble like the NBA. That league restarted its regular season Thursday after this week reporting zero cases of COVID-19 from its latest round of testing of 344 players living and playing on a single-site campus at the Walt Disney World resort near Orlando, Fla.


npr--2020-07-30--Obama Calls For Abolishing Filibuster If It Stands In Way Of Stronger Voting Rights

Obama Calls For Abolishing Filibuster If It Stands In Way Of Stronger Voting Rights Former President Barack Obama called on Americans to honor the late civil rights leader Rep. John Lewis by working to expand voting rights — and if Congress has to abolish the filibuster to strengthen the Voting Rights Act , then so be it , Obama said .
`` You want to honor John ?
Let 's honor him by revitalizing the law that he was willing to die for , '' Obama said as he gave a eulogy Thursday for Lewis during services at Ebenezer Baptist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a passionate speech about Lewis ' impact on American society and politics , Obama reeled off a list of suggestions for improving civil rights , democracy and voter participation in the United States .
`` Naming it the John Lewis Voting Rights Act — that is a fine tribute , '' Obama said .
`` But John would n't want us to stop there . ''
The next steps , Obama said , should be `` making sure every American is automatically registered to vote – including former inmates who 've earned their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and expanding early voting , and making Election Day a national holiday . ''
Obama also called for full representation for millions of U.S. citizens who live in Puerto Rico and Washington , D.C. — a territory and district , respectively , whose residents lack voting representation in the federal government .
The former president also called for an end to `` some of the partisan gerrymandering , so that all voters have the power to choose their politicians , not the other way around . ''
`` And if all this takes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ relic — in order to secure the God-given rights of every American , then that 's what we should do , '' Obama said .
The Voting Rights Act was enacted in 1965 , and it has been a crucial tool in dismantling racist state laws that targeted Black voters .
But in 2013 , the Supreme Court invalidated a core portion of the law – a requirement that states with a history of discriminatory voting laws must first get approval from the federal government before they can change their voting rules .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ dagger in the heart of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 , '' Lewis said of the court 's ruling at the time .
`` They 're saying in effect that history can not repeat itself , but I say come and walk in my shoes . ''
In response to Obama 's remarks Thursday , Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden 's campaign echoed the former president 's call to strengthen the law .
`` Congressional Republicans should turn their praise of Rep. Lewis into action and pass the John Lewis Voting Rights @ @ @ @ @ @ @ filibuster , no delay , '' Andrew Bates , director of rapid response for Biden , told NPR 's Scott Detrow .
Obama also urged Americans to value and exercise their right to vote , calling cynicism `` the central strategy of voter suppression . ''
Months of street protests against racial injustice in the U.S. have made him hopeful for the future , Obama said .
But he added that people must vote to secure lasting change .
`` We 're also going to have to remember what John said , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ n't do everything you can do to change things , then they will remain the same .
You only pass this way once — you have to give it all you have . ''
Citing another civil rights legend , the former president said : '' By the thousands , faceless , anonymous , relentless young people , black and white , have taken our whole nation back to those great wells of democracy which were dug deep by the Founding Fathers in the formulation of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the 1960s , '' Obama said , standing in the Rev .
Martin Luther King Jr. 's former church .
`` And it came true again this summer . ''

Obama Calls For Abolishing Filibuster If It Stands In Way Of Stronger Voting Rights
Enlarge this image toggle caption Alyssa Pointer/Getty Images Alyssa Pointer/Getty Images
Updated at 6:23 p.m. ET
Former President Barack Obama called on Americans to honor the late civil rights leader Rep. John Lewis by working to expand voting rights — and if Congress has to abolish the filibuster to strengthen the Voting Rights Act, then so be it, Obama said.
"You want to honor John? Let's honor him by revitalizing the law that he was willing to die for," Obama said as he gave a eulogy Thursday for Lewis during services at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta.
As he delivered a passionate speech about Lewis' impact on American society and politics, Obama reeled off a list of suggestions for improving civil rights, democracy and voter participation in the United States.
YouTube
"Naming it the John Lewis Voting Rights Act — that is a fine tribute," Obama said. "But John wouldn't want us to stop there."
The next steps, Obama said, should be "making sure every American is automatically registered to vote – including former inmates who've earned their second chance — by adding polling places and expanding early voting, and making Election Day a national holiday."
Obama also called for full representation for millions of U.S. citizens who live in Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C. — a territory and district, respectively, whose residents lack voting representation in the federal government.
"They're Americans," Obama said.
The former president also called for an end to "some of the partisan gerrymandering, so that all voters have the power to choose their politicians, not the other way around."
"And if all this takes eliminating the filibuster — another Jim Crow relic — in order to secure the God-given rights of every American, then that's what we should do," Obama said.
The Voting Rights Act was enacted in 1965, and it has been a crucial tool in dismantling racist state laws that targeted Black voters. But in 2013, the Supreme Court invalidated a core portion of the law – a requirement that states with a history of discriminatory voting laws must first get approval from the federal government before they can change their voting rules.
"Today the Supreme Court stuck a dagger in the heart of the Voting Rights Act of 1965," Lewis said of the court's ruling at the time.
"They're saying in effect that history cannot repeat itself, but I say come and walk in my shoes."
In response to Obama's remarks Thursday, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden's campaign echoed the former president's call to strengthen the law.
"Congressional Republicans should turn their praise of Rep. Lewis into action and pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act today by voice vote. No filibuster, no delay," Andrew Bates, director of rapid response for Biden, told NPR's Scott Detrow.
Obama also urged Americans to value and exercise their right to vote, calling cynicism "the central strategy of voter suppression."
Months of street protests against racial injustice in the U.S. have made him hopeful for the future, Obama said. But he added that people must vote to secure lasting change.
"We're also going to have to remember what John said," Obama said. "If you don't do everything you can do to change things, then they will remain the same. You only pass this way once — you have to give it all you have."
Citing another civil rights legend, the former president said:
"By the thousands, faceless, anonymous, relentless young people, black and white, have taken our whole nation back to those great wells of democracy which were dug deep by the Founding Fathers in the formulation of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence."
"Dr. King said that in the 1960s," Obama said, standing in the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s former church. "And it came true again this summer."


npr--2020-07-30--'If Coronavirus Doesn't Kill Me, Hunger Will': Mexico's Poor Bear Brunt Of Pandemic

'If Coronavirus Does n't Kill Me , Hunger Will ' : Mexico 's Poor Bear Brunt Of Pandemic Every morning , Rosa Gallegos has to make a decision : stay at home with her family to be safe from the coronavirus or hit the streets of Mexico City to make money so they can eat .
The 61-year-old grandmother always comes to the same conclusion : `` If coronavirus does n't kill me , hunger will . ''
On a recent Thursday , she stands on a street corner near a public hospital complex , hawking little bags of nuts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Get your nuts , 10 pesos , '' she said to passersby .
Before the pandemic , she worked a few days a week earning about 500 pesos ( $ 22.60 ) each day .
Combined with her daughter 's salary , the family made ends meet .
But today , Gallegos is trying to survive on as little $ 3 to $ 5 a day .
`` I have one daughter who still depends on me , '' Gallegos told NPR .
`` She has two young sons , and she was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no federal unemployment insurance , and her daughter did n't qualify for Mexico City 's unemployment funds since she did n't have a contract with the clothing store where she worked .
`` That 's why I have to go out and keep working , to help her , to support her , '' Gallegos said .
As the coronavirus keeps surging in Mexico — where the government registers more than 400,000 confirmed cases and more than 45,000 fatalities , the world 's fourth-highest death toll — families are hurting across the country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hit : They make up the highest share of virus-related deaths and lack the funds to stay afloat as the pandemic plunges Mexico deeper into recession .
Now pressure is rising on the government to improve its health response and offer financial help to those in need .
The toll of the mounting crises is showing in Mexico 's capital .
Long lines are forming at city government mobile soup kitchens .
`` We 're serving about 20 % more meals each day , '' Almudena Ocejo Rojo , the head of Mexico @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which runs these soup kitchens , told NPR .
`` Food assistance is something we 're seeing the demand for increase , and we 'll keep trying to fill that need . ''
The agency , tasked with providing aid particularly for the city 's homeless , those with disabilities and older people , is scrambling to deal with the growing demand as the heavily populated megacity remains at the epicenter of Mexico 's contagion .
The agency has relocated soup kitchens to hospitals to feed hungry relatives of COVID-19 patients and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It was n't so long ago that Mexico 's poor and vulnerable were told they need n't worry about the coronavirus .
In early March , some of the country 's first coronavirus cases were wealthy Mexicans returning from a ski trip in Vail , Colo .
The coronavirus , politicians and media commentators said , was a disease of the rich .
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador , elected in 2018 with broad working-class support , repeatedly downplayed the risk of an outbreak .
`` Pandemics wo n't do anything to us @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — when Mexico reported more than 40 cases .
He flaunted good luck charms as his defense against the virus .
That month , one of the president 's best-known supporters , legal scholar John Ackerman , tweeted the hashtag # VailNoEsMexico , `` Vail is Not Mexico , '' implying that the country did n't need to enforce anti-coronavirus measures .
On March 26 , the governor of Puebla state , Luis Miguel Barbosa , an ally of the president 's , said , `` The majority [ of coronavirus cases ] @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 're rich , you 're at risk , but not if you 're poor .
Us poor people , we 're immune . ''
By then , the virus had ravaged people of all backgrounds in many countries .
More than 40,000 COVID-19 deaths later , the opposite is true , according to a study by Héctor Hernández Bringas , a demographer at the National Autonomous University of Mexico , known by its Spanish initials UNAM .
`` As happens in any crisis , in any disaster in a country like Mexico , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' he said .
Hernández has been tracking the demographic data on death certificates of COVID-19 victims and has made some stunning discoveries .
`` More than 70 % of people who have died from COVID had an elementary school-level education or less , '' he said .
That 's a significant share of the country , where more than half of the population completes high school .
Low education also means higher poverty and social inequities among those affected .
`` More than half of people who have died from COVID died @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
He explained these are public hospitals that cater to all Mexicans , particularly the poor and those without health insurance .
He added that 9 % of the deaths happened outside of a health facility , meaning thousands of Mexicans have succumbed to the disease without medical care .
The family of Gallegos , the street vendor , experienced this firsthand .
`` I know how terrible it is because I saw it with my nephew .
He did n't even last eight days , '' she said .
Gallegos ' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he developed flulike symptoms , the family did n't know what to do — there was conflicting information about the coronavirus , and rumors were swirling it was a hoax .
By the time he was in critical condition , family members could n't get him admitted to a hospital .
He died in bed .
The coroner 's report confirmed he had COVID-19 .
The coronavirus has hit Mexico 's poor hard , in urban centers such as Mexico City as well as in small , rural communities in states such as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is only part of the pain .
`` Many millions of people have lost their jobs ... and the government has n't given really any support to firms or workers at all , '' said Valeria Moy , director of the Mexican Institute for Competitiveness , a pro-business think tank in Mexico City .
An estimated 12.5 million Mexicans lost their job and left the job market entirely in April when coronavirus restrictions came into effect , according to analysis of official data .
According to an estimate from BBVA Bancomer Bank , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to recover the economic losses underway without major fiscal stimulus .
The López Obrador administration has offered 25,000 peso ( $ 1,130 ) business loans , but Moy said they wo n't make a dent in the slump .
The government also advanced pension payments to the elderly but has so far rejected any new cash transfers to support struggling Mexicans .
`` [ López Obrador ] has a very deep aversion to debt .
He hates debt .
One of his main campaign promises was to decrease the debt .
He is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ incur more debt , '' Moy said .
It 's a difficult position to square for a president who often uses the phrase `` primero lo pobres , '' which means putting `` the poor first . ''
`` What worries me most is that the government does n't seem willing to respond to the gravity of this crisis , '' said Rolando Cordera Campos , an economist from UNAM .
`` Those who earn little , who live day to day , which is a lot of people in Mexico , are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lockdowns . ''
A government agency that tracks poverty and social programs estimates that more than 10 million Mexicans could fall into extreme poverty because of the economic effects of the coronavirus .
That would wipe out more than a decade of poverty reduction .
`` There 's no reason people should be going hungry in Mexico , '' Cordera said .
`` We can afford to spend this money . ''
To keep people fed , Cordera and his university colleagues said the president needs to send 75 billion pesos ( $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Mexicans struggling with food insecurity .
`` Millions of people incurred the economic cost of staying at home , for the public good of stopping the spread of the virus , '' Cordera said .
`` The government has n't taken the right steps to ensure they do n't suffer for this . ''
In Mexico City at least , it 's too early to predict the long-term social impact of the pandemic , said Ocejo Rojo of the local government .
Over the next few months , the welfare agency will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But the worry is palpable .
`` My concern is that inequality is reinforced because of the pandemic , that people who are already vulnerable suffer greater hardship and end up being even more vulnerable because of this , '' Ocejo Rojo said .
Gallegos said she has no choice but to keep working every day .
`` I do n't receive any support from anyone , '' she said .
She shrugs off the lack of government aid , saying , politicians `` are all the same : They say they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' She 's doing what she can to avoid the virus .
She said she wears a mask , keeps a distance from others and regularly disinfects or washes her hands .
`` I hope the virus does n't find me , that I do n't catch it , '' she said .
`` But if it does , oh well .
If I ca n't be cured , I guess I 'll be going to another place . ''

'If Coronavirus Doesn't Kill Me, Hunger Will': Mexico's Poor Bear Brunt Of Pandemic
Enlarge this image toggle caption Alfredo Estrella/AFP via Getty Images Alfredo Estrella/AFP via Getty Images
Every morning, Rosa Gallegos has to make a decision: stay at home with her family to be safe from the coronavirus or hit the streets of Mexico City to make money so they can eat.
The 61-year-old grandmother always comes to the same conclusion: "If coronavirus doesn't kill me, hunger will."
On a recent Thursday, she stands on a street corner near a public hospital complex, hawking little bags of nuts. "Nuts, 10 pesos. Get your nuts, 10 pesos," she said to passersby.
Before the pandemic, she worked a few days a week earning about 500 pesos ($22.60) each day. Combined with her daughter's salary, the family made ends meet. But today, Gallegos is trying to survive on as little $3 to $5 a day.
"I have one daughter who still depends on me," Gallegos told NPR. "She has two young sons, and she was recently laid off." Mexico has no federal unemployment insurance, and her daughter didn't qualify for Mexico City's unemployment funds since she didn't have a contract with the clothing store where she worked. "That's why I have to go out and keep working, to help her, to support her," Gallegos said.
As the coronavirus keeps surging in Mexico — where the government registers more than 400,000 confirmed cases and more than 45,000 fatalities, the world's fourth-highest death toll — families are hurting across the country. But low earners have been doubly hit: They make up the highest share of virus-related deaths and lack the funds to stay afloat as the pandemic plunges Mexico deeper into recession. Now pressure is rising on the government to improve its health response and offer financial help to those in need.
The toll of the mounting crises is showing in Mexico's capital. Long lines are forming at city government mobile soup kitchens.
Enlarge this image toggle caption James Fredrick for NPR James Fredrick for NPR
"We're serving about 20% more meals each day," Almudena Ocejo Rojo, the head of Mexico City's social inclusion and welfare agency, which runs these soup kitchens, told NPR. "Food assistance is something we're seeing the demand for increase, and we'll keep trying to fill that need."
The agency, tasked with providing aid particularly for the city's homeless, those with disabilities and older people, is scrambling to deal with the growing demand as the heavily populated megacity remains at the epicenter of Mexico's contagion. The agency has relocated soup kitchens to hospitals to feed hungry relatives of COVID-19 patients and has expanded capacity at homeless shelters.
It wasn't so long ago that Mexico's poor and vulnerable were told they needn't worry about the coronavirus. In early March, some of the country's first coronavirus cases were wealthy Mexicans returning from a ski trip in Vail, Colo. The coronavirus, politicians and media commentators said, was a disease of the rich.
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, elected in 2018 with broad working-class support, repeatedly downplayed the risk of an outbreak. "Pandemics won't do anything to us," he said on March 15 — when Mexico reported more than 40 cases. He flaunted good luck charms as his defense against the virus.
That month, one of the president's best-known supporters, legal scholar John Ackerman, tweeted the hashtag #VailNoEsMexico, "Vail is Not Mexico," implying that the country didn't need to enforce anti-coronavirus measures.
On March 26, the governor of Puebla state, Luis Miguel Barbosa, an ally of the president's, said, "The majority [of coronavirus cases] are people with money. If you're rich, you're at risk, but not if you're poor. Us poor people, we're immune." By then, the virus had ravaged people of all backgrounds in many countries.
More than 40,000 COVID-19 deaths later, the opposite is true, according to a study by Héctor Hernández Bringas, a demographer at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, known by its Spanish initials UNAM.
"As happens in any crisis, in any disaster in a country like Mexico, the vulnerable are the most affected," he said.
Hernández has been tracking the demographic data on death certificates of COVID-19 victims and has made some stunning discoveries.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Claudio Cruz/AFP via Getty Images Claudio Cruz/AFP via Getty Images
"More than 70% of people who have died from COVID had an elementary school-level education or less," he said. That's a significant share of the country, where more than half of the population completes high school. Low education also means higher poverty and social inequities among those affected.
"More than half of people who have died from COVID died in Health Ministry hospitals," Hernández said. He explained these are public hospitals that cater to all Mexicans, particularly the poor and those without health insurance.
He added that 9% of the deaths happened outside of a health facility, meaning thousands of Mexicans have succumbed to the disease without medical care.
The family of Gallegos, the street vendor, experienced this firsthand.
"I know how terrible it is because I saw it with my nephew. He didn't even last eight days," she said.
Gallegos' nephew was a healthy 29-year-old. When he developed flulike symptoms, the family didn't know what to do — there was conflicting information about the coronavirus, and rumors were swirling it was a hoax. By the time he was in critical condition, family members couldn't get him admitted to a hospital. He died in bed. The coroner's report confirmed he had COVID-19.
The coronavirus has hit Mexico's poor hard, in urban centers such as Mexico City as well as in small, rural communities in states such as Guerrero and Oaxaca. And the disease is only part of the pain.
"Many millions of people have lost their jobs ... and the government hasn't given really any support to firms or workers at all," said Valeria Moy, director of the Mexican Institute for Competitiveness, a pro-business think tank in Mexico City.
An estimated 12.5 million Mexicans lost their job and left the job market entirely in April when coronavirus restrictions came into effect, according to analysis of official data.
According to an estimate from BBVA Bancomer Bank, it will take Mexico a full decade to recover the economic losses underway without major fiscal stimulus.
The López Obrador administration has offered 25,000 peso ($1,130) business loans, but Moy said they won't make a dent in the slump. The government also advanced pension payments to the elderly but has so far rejected any new cash transfers to support struggling Mexicans.
"[López Obrador] has a very deep aversion to debt. He hates debt. One of his main campaign promises was to decrease the debt. He is very stubborn in saying we will not incur more debt," Moy said.
It's a difficult position to square for a president who often uses the phrase "primero lo pobres," which means putting "the poor first."
"What worries me most is that the government doesn't seem willing to respond to the gravity of this crisis," said Rolando Cordera Campos, an economist from UNAM. "Those who earn little, who live day to day, which is a lot of people in Mexico, are the most immediately and directly affected by lockdowns."
A government agency that tracks poverty and social programs estimates that more than 10 million Mexicans could fall into extreme poverty because of the economic effects of the coronavirus. That would wipe out more than a decade of poverty reduction.
"There's no reason people should be going hungry in Mexico," Cordera said. "We can afford to spend this money."
Enlarge this image toggle caption Claudio Cruz/AFP via Getty Images Claudio Cruz/AFP via Getty Images
To keep people fed, Cordera and his university colleagues said the president needs to send 75 billion pesos ($3.4 billion) in cash transfers immediately to Mexicans struggling with food insecurity.
"Millions of people incurred the economic cost of staying at home, for the public good of stopping the spread of the virus," Cordera said. "The government hasn't taken the right steps to ensure they don't suffer for this."
In Mexico City at least, it's too early to predict the long-term social impact of the pandemic, said Ocejo Rojo of the local government. Over the next few months, the welfare agency will collect data and have a clearer picture. But the worry is palpable.
"My concern is that inequality is reinforced because of the pandemic, that people who are already vulnerable suffer greater hardship and end up being even more vulnerable because of this," Ocejo Rojo said.
Gallegos said she has no choice but to keep working every day.
"I don't receive any support from anyone," she said. She shrugs off the lack of government aid, saying, politicians "are all the same: They say they'll help and they never do."
She's doing what she can to avoid the virus. She said she wears a mask, keeps a distance from others and regularly disinfects or washes her hands.
"I hope the virus doesn't find me, that I don't catch it," she said.
"But if it does, oh well. If I can't be cured, I guess I'll be going to another place."