Obama On African Racism: 'I Have No Patience For It'

He also spoke out against gender-based discrimination.
Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images

President Barack Obama criticized racism in Africa while speaking to a group of young African leaders in Washington, D.C., on Monday.

"The notion that any African would discriminate against anybody because of the color of their skin, after what black people around the world have gone through, is crazy," Obama said at the Young African Leaders Initiative summit, according to a White House pool report. "It is infuriating. And I have no patience for it."

He also criticized gender-based discrimination, including practices like female genital mutilation and bride abduction, which are prevalent in some African countries.

Obama added that it was time to end prejudice against Africa's LGBT community. "If you're treating people differently just because of who they love and who they are, then there's a connection between that mindset and the mindset that led to racism," he said.

During a trip to Africa last month that included a visit to his father's home country, Kenya, Obama said racism and violence against women "have no place in the 21st century."

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