- Sep 2016
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millercenter.org millercenter.org
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And in examining his life and his words, I'm sure we both realize we have more work to do to promote equality in our own countries -- to reduce discrimination based on race in our own countries. And in Cuba, we want our engagement to help lift up the Cubans who are of African descent -- (applause) -- who’ve proven that there’s nothing they cannot achieve when given the chance.
It is ironic that he speaks of elimination discrimination based on race, but then insinuates that Cubans specifically of African descent have proven to be superior in overcoming adversity. I could be wrong.
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In 1959, the year that my father moved to America, it was illegal for him to marry my mother, who was white, in many American states. When I first started school, we were still struggling to desegregate schools across the American South.
Personal experience is used to highlight how he has witnessed some progress firsthand.
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and later today our players will compete on the same Havana field that Jackie Robinson played on before he made his Major League debut. (Applause.) And it's said that our greatest boxer, Muhammad Ali, once paid tribute to a Cuban that he could never fight -- saying that he would only be able to reach a draw with the great Cuban, Teofilo Stevenson. (Applause.)
President Obama alludes to the great Dr. Finlay, Jackie Robinson, Muhammad Ali, Teofilo Stevenson to create a sense of attractiveness and appeal to the thought that these two cultures must obviously be commendable separately and even more so collaboratively.
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Havana is only 90 miles from Florida, but to get here we had to travel a great distance
The actual distance traveled is a quick 90 miles, however President Obama goes on to introduce the greater "distance" endured to arrive at the threshold of "support", "freedom and opportunity". The two thoughts obviously contrast one another, the former insinuating that Havana is close while the latter suggests that it is far. The purpose of this was to emphasize the initial claim of proximity but yet express the hard work and cohesion that was necessary.
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