Obama Urges Grammy Artists to Stress That Rape, Domestic Violence Are 'Not OK'

Speaking in a recorded message that aired Sunday night at the Grammy Awards, President Obama delivered a sobering message about sexual abuse.

Yahoo News:

Obama asked the millions of viewers of the CBS telecast to go to the site ItsOnUs.org to make a pledge to stop violence…”It’s not OK and it has to stop,” Obama said. “Artists have a unique power to change minds and attitudes and getting us talking and thinking about what matters.”

Obama was followed by a survivor of domestic violence, Brooke Axtell, who took the Grammy stage and explained how her ex-boyfriend had threatened to kill her and how she made excuses for his anger and abuse…Katy Perry then appeared on stage in an austere white gown to perform her inspirational survival anthem “By the Grace of God.”

Her performance stood in contrast to her headlining act at last Sunday’s Super Bowl half-time show, which was high on spectacle but made no reference to domestic abuse, the polemical issue that plagued the National Football League last year.

—Posted by Natasha Hakimi Zapata

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