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President Barack Obama is scheduled to eulogize South Carolina State Senator and pastor of Emanuel AME Church, Rev. Clementa Pinckney. Before the nation’s first Black president has even uttered a word, conservative commentators are suggesting that Pres. Obama should not mention anything about race or guns.

Despite what these conservative pundits have to say there are some issues that Mr. Obama should address. Roland Martin and the NewsOne Now straight talk panel featuring Attorney Monique Pressley, principal of The Pressley Firm PLLC, Dr. Wilmer Leon, Sirius/XM Satellite radio talk show host and Lauren Victoria Burke, Managing Editor of Politic365.com discussed what President Obama should say during his remarks.

Martin told the panel, this is “going to be one of the most important speeches of his presidency.”

Burke believes that the President should take “this opportunity to talk about racism and I think he does have to take this opportunity to mention the Confederate flag — of course he is going to talk about Pinckney but that is what Pinckney worked on –that was part of Pinckney’s work. So there is no inappropriateness in bring that up.”

Burke added,”The elections are over, he is not running for anything … we’ve been dealing with this history for 150 years. This is the opportunity, this is the moment and hopefully he will step into it.”

Dr. Wilmer Leon said, “The President Obama is obligated to speak to directly to” issues of race and the racially charged rhetoric used by the Charleston shooter Dylann Roof during the Emanuel AME massacre.

“If he fails to do that, he fails us,” said Leon.

Watch Roland Martin, Monique Pressley, Dr. Wilmer Leon and Lauren Victoria Burke discuss what issues President Barack Obama should address during his eulogy of slain State Senator Clementa Pinckney in the video clip above.


Jackie Starkes Reflects On The Life Of Charleston Shooting Victim, Rev. DePayne Middleton Doctor

Jackie Starkes joined Roland Martin on NewsOne Now via Skype to share reflections of her friend, Rev. DePayne Middleton Doctor.


Be sure to watch “NewsOne Now” with Roland Martin, weekdays at 9 a.m. EST on TV One.

Subscribe to the “NewsOne Now” Audio Podcast on iTunes.

SEE ALSO:

Charleston Shooting Should Force America To Address Its Racist Past & Present

What Should The Nation Expect To Hear During Pres. Obama’s Eulogy Of Rev. Clementa Pinckney?  was originally published on newsone.com