It may be time to reconsider how Blacks are going to engage in the American political process. In this ethnically based competitive society, Blacks are totally dependent upon other groups to supply water, food, medicine, energy, shelter, protection and other necessities of life. There are absolutely no incentives for whites, Asians, Arabs, Hispanics or any other so called minority or people of color to share with and provide for the well-being of Black people.
The election of Barack Obama has effectively silenced and marginalized the Black political presence in this country. For fear of creating a white backlash that would be directed toward the President, the most courageous Black voices have chosen to be silent. The Black community at large has agreed to be ignored in order to help President Obama prove that he has no particular affinity toward it.
In the absence of a strident Black voice, the right wing becomes embolden, launching vicious attacks on all that Obama does, including calling on God or some deranged white racist to kill him. Even moderate Blacks now feel free to abandon their legitimate unresolved concerns for their community . Let’s be clear, it was the Black movement for justice that was always America’s moral compass, pushing this nation toward justice for all. Without that strident Black voice, a distorted political perspective prevails. Consider this, Blacks are told that the election of Barack Obama shows how far this nation has come and therefore our communitiy is expected to simply appreciate that fact. Keep in mind that more than half of the nation’s white voters did not vote for Obama in the general election.
The election of President Obama actually measures how far some whites have come and reveals that it took them until the 21st Century to get here. According to the way we have historically voted, Blacks were ready for a Black president in 1984 when Jesse Louis Jackson was the best candidate in the race but it was whites who could not bring themselves to vote for a Black man. There were Black men qualified to be president as early on as Dr. Ralph Bunche in the 1950’s – but it was whites who were not ready.
Blacks have been waiting for whites to catch up with reality for decades. It is important to understand that what distinguishes one leader from another is how each of them understands and interprets the history of their people. That is why the protest leaders whose understanding of history concludes that “we” have made real progress as a nation, urge Blacks to accept minimal benefits for your political labor up to now.
Other leaders want immigration reform in return for the Latino vote, a woman Supreme Court Judge who is committed to woman’s rights, more attention given to protect the rights of Gay people, all of which they should insist on. However, in the absence of strident Black voices, the legitimate unresolved issues still confronting Black Americans becomes obscured. If the authentic voices of Black people remain silent Blacks will always be offered inadequate responses that are emotionally gratifying but leave us without power or substance of any kind.
On Thursday, May 20th, at 7 PM, many thoughtful and concerned members of the black community will meet with Bob Law and others at Harlem’s Abyssinian Baptist Church for the first in a series of three forums to explore a new meaningful political course for Black Americans. A course that will make Blacks politically and economically competitive and self reliant. Join Us!
