Former President Bill Clinton used Sunday morning’s tragic shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando to push a message of hope and acceptance as the second day of the Clinton Global Initiative’s annual conference began.
“When something like this happens, all of us have a responsibility,” he said to a packed room Monday morning. “We can present an alternative view of the future. One that we all share and one where our differences – far from being an occasion for murder – are a cause for success and a road map to a better future for everyone here.
“That’s what we’re trying to do here.”
Clinton was in town for CGI America 2016, the annual conference for his Clinton Global Initiative, started in 2011 to help address economic issues stemming from the recent economic crisis. He mentioned the city as the most famous site for citizen action, the birthplace of the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. that he said branded itself during the civil rights movement “as a city too busy to hate.”
Mayor Kasim Reed said he attended a local vigil Sunday evening that reminded him of a proverb that says if a person shares their joy, it grows.
“Similarly, if you have great sorrow in your life, if you share that sorrow with people who care about you, that sorrow will begin to dissipate and you can take that pain and do good work.
“I wanted to be here because that’s what the (Clinton Global Initiative) does.”
During the day, Reed announced several initiatives bettering the city through work with Clinton’s group, including a program training local residents for construction jobs, financial literacy education and the establishment of a 16-acre park near the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
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