Getting Messy With Jesse Helps Obama

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• Reader Comments (2)

  Page 1 of 1 pages

  Regardless of what Obama says or does, Black Americans who vote for him are going to tear him apart faster than any other constituency for not being able to turn this entire nation upside down in his first year in office.

  Posted by natashaes on Aug 15, 2008 at 3:10 AM

  Obama saying, “It doesn’t matter how much money we invest in our communities … or how many government programs we launch — none of it will make any difference if we don’t seize more responsibility in our own lives.”  is no different than Farrakhan’s mantra “Do For Self”.  I don’t see how “black nationalist theorist and creator of Kwanzaa” Maulana Karenga could brush off Obama’s personal responsibility remarks when that sentiment is the basis of an honest argument for Black nationalism. 

  What I see happening is an acknowledgement in the Black community of the split between the schools of thought represented during the civil rights era by Martin and Malcolm.  While Martin’s success in manipulating the political process to pass voting, housing and anti-discriminatory legisation has led to huge beneficial changes for Black Americans over the last 40 years he was cut down before his campaign for economic equality could take root.  Had Martin been able to continue his last campaign its likely his rhetoric regarding economic issues would have evolved into a stance that self sufficiency is the best safeguard for maintaining the hard fought civil rights gains and attaining true equality and the full rights of citizenship.  While Martin may not have had nationalistic intentions he certainly understood that the racial cohesion required of a nationalistic agenda would have been/is needed to fulfull his ultimate goals.

  After Martin, the civil rights movement never picked up where he left off and it settled for affirmative action programs instead of legislation that would have a broader economic impact for all segments of Black communities, and tried to pass off advocating for welfare and other aid programs as addressing economic needs.  While I’m not against the concept of “affimative action”, it left most poor and uneducated Black Americans on the sidelines with few other alternatives than being dependent on government for handouts.  However I am against this Connerly person’s efforts because they are as short sighted as the old school civil rights desire to maintain the dependence status quo in that he doesn’t propose any alternatives in light of the obvious continued economic inequality visited on Black communities.

  Posted by theloneous on Aug 15, 2008 at 9:12 PM

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