Obama's advice to young activists: compromise

London (AP) — The Latest on President Barack Obama's visit to the United Kingdom

President Barack Obama is offering some advice to young activists: Be realistic, and be ready to compromise.

Obama says marriage equality advocates were effective in persuading him to shift his stance on gay marriage. He credits the movement, as well as his two daughters, with convincing him and others that the issue wasn't just a legal matter, but about a "sense of stigma."

He says that's something he should have understood earlier.

Obama didn't shower the same praise on the Black Lives Matter campaign. He says the criminal justice and racial equality activists have been "really effective in bringing attention to a problem." But he warned that when politicians are ready to address a problem, activists have to be ready to present a realistic agenda.

He says, "You can't just keep on yelling at them. You can't refuse to meet because that might compromise the purity of your position."

Obama says advocates must be prepared to negotiate and "occasionally take half a loaf."

President Barack Obama also asked young Britons to reject xenophobia and efforts to restrict people's rights.

Obama says he wants young people to take a "longer and more optimistic view of history and the part that you can play in it."

The president is speaking at a town hall in London. His remarks were a pointed reference to the debate in Europe over immigration and taking in refugees who are fleeing violence in the Middle East.

The president says he want young people to view integration and globalization "not as threats, but as opportunities."

___

Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

The Gayly – April 23, 2016 @ 6:50 a.m.