“I’ve attended too many memorials. I’ve hugged too many families who have lost a loved one to senseless violence … I’ve seen how inadequate words can be.” President Obama spoke at a memorial for the slain Dallas police officers. It’s impossible to overstate the importance of a speech by America’s first black president at this moment in American history. He spoke on law enforcement, race, bias, guns, violence, danger, protests, etc: “None of us is entirely innocent. No institution is entirely immune.” You should watch the whole speech. “Can we see in each other a common humanity and a shared dignity? … I don’t know. I confess that I too sometimes experience doubt … If communities are mistrustful of the police, that makes those law enforcement officers who are doing a great job, and are doing the right thing, it makes their lives harder. So, when people say ‘black lives matter,’ it doesn’t mean ‘blue lives’ don’t matter, it just means all lives matter. But right now, the big concern is the fact that data shows black folks are more vulnerable to these kinds of incidents. This isn’t a matter of us comparing the value of lives, this is recognizing that there is a particular burden being placed on a group of our fellow citizens. And we should care about that. We can’t dismiss it. We can’t dismiss it.” This is a moment, folks.

+ Former President Bush also offered poignant remarks, especially for the Internet generation: “Argument turns too easily into animosity. Disagreement escalates too quickly into dehumanization. Too often we judge other groups by their worst examples, while judging ourselves by our best intentions.”