Bill Clinton Honors A Native Son At NAACP Convention In Texas
SAN ANTONIO (CBSDFW.COM/AP) — Former President Bill Clinton says the key to political leadership is remembering "our common humanity."
Clinton's comments came Wednesday night during the NAACP Convention in San Antonio, where he presented Texas native Willie Brown with the 2018 NAACP Springarn Medal for outstanding achievement by an African-American. Brown is the former California House speaker and former San Francisco mayor.
42nd President of the United States @BillClinton delivered a heartfelt tribute to his longtime friend and colleague Willie Brown, whom the #NAACP honored with the prestigious Spingarn Medal at the 109th #NAACPConvention pic.twitter.com/GbQXSaqfxn
— NAACP (@NAACP) July 19, 2018
Clinton, who reminded the audience that the conference and his speech was taking place on what would have been Nelson Mandela's 100th birthday, said political leaders need to keep humanity in mind. He said it's important at a time "when voting rights, when family security and the best interests of children, when the bonds of our neighbors and the friendships of our oldest allies are being strained."
He said "we have begun again to think that our differences matter more than our common humanity." He said public servants should ask themselves if people are "better off" from the time they started leading until when they stopped.
(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)