Former United States President Barack Obama has issued a to young men and women of colour in America, telling them they have the power to change the system as protests against police brutality rage across the country.
During a virtual town hall broadcast over Zoom on Thursday, the country's first African-American president also called on every mayor in the US to review their use-of-force policies and make plans for reform after the death of George Floyd at the hands of police on 25 May.
The address was the former president's first on-camera remarks since protests swept the country, in the wake of Mr Floyd's death, which was captured on camera and the video circulated on social media.
"I want to speak directly to the young men and women of colour in this country ... who have witnessed too much violence and too much death, and too often some of that violence has come from folks who were supposed to be serving and protecting you," he said.
Protesters hold placards as they take part during a demonstration in response to the death of a Minneapolis man George Floyd. Source: Sipa USA John Lamparski / SOPA Images/Sip
"I want you to know that your lives matter, I want you to know that your dreams matter, and when I go home and I look at the faces of my daughters, Sasha and Malia, and I look at my nephews and nieces, I see limitless potential that deserves to flourish and thrive."
Noting the tragic events that led up to the widespread Black Lives Matter protests, which have seen a number of people injured and killed, he said there was also an "incredible opportunity for some people to be awakened".
"You have the power to make things better, and you have helped to make the whole country feel that this is something that is going to change. You have communicated a sense of urgency," he said.
The comments echoed those made in an essay published on Medium, a self-publishing blogging site, earlier this week, in which Mr Obama called for reform of the criminal justice system.
"The waves of protests across the country represent a genuine and legitimate frustration over a decades-long failure to reform police practices and the broader criminal justice system in the United States," he wrote on Tuesday.
"The overwhelming majority of participants have been peaceful, courageous, responsible, and inspiring."
On Thursday it was announced the charge against police officer Derek Chauvin, who kneeled on Mr Floyd's neck while he said "I can't breathe",.
Mr Chauvin was fired on 26 May and initially charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
The three other officers involved in the arrest have been charged with aiding and abetting murder, Minnesota Attorney-General Keith Ellison said.
A number of US states have also announced plans to reform policing, including Colorado, Michigan and New Jersey, in the wake on the unrest.
But as the protests move into their second week, and flare , current US President Donald Trump has defended his leadership.
Tweeting on Thursday, Mr Trump said he had done "much more for our Black population" during his time in office, than presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has "done in 43 years".
"I've done more for Black Americans, in fact, than any President in US history with the possible exception of another Republican President, the late, great, Abraham Lincoln."
Mr Trump has threatened to call in the , which have now spread to every US state.
The tweets come as former defence secretary James Mattis slammed the president's handling of the unrest, describing him as "the first president in [his] lifetime who does not try and unite the American people".
"Instead he tries to divide us. We are witnessing the consequences of three years of this deliberate effort. We are witnessing the consequences of three years without mature leadership,” he said in a statement to reporters.
Signing off the Zoom address, Mr Obama urged people not to become disheartened if change did not come immediately as a result of the protests. "This is a marathon, not a sprint," he said.
For those criticising the demonstrations, he also had a clear message: "Remember, this country was built on protests".
