BlackPerspective.net

I wrote previously about how Obama being elected president could actually have negative consequences for Black America.

I ended the piece by saying the following:

“I don’t know that an Obama presidency will be more bad than good for Black people in the final analysis; but if we are not prepared to strategically respond to the shift in the racial political landscape, there are good odds that it will.

Either way, we have to be (and yes here this word is again) strategic in our dealings in order to maximize a Black presidency. Otherwise we can end up getting precious little out of it.”

Even as this democratic nomination race endlessly lingers on, with Obama winning the nomination and the general still being more likely than not; we should attend to our strategic task.

We should be doing two things: preparing our agenda for President Obama, and launching a pre-emptive offensive against white folk’s ‘post-racial’/’racism is dead’ argument that will be boasted if Obama were to win. The Pastor Wright saga and redneck’s admitting they won’t vote for Obama because he’s Black; is proof that there is no post-racial in America. Controlling the public discourse about the continued affects of racism and the realities of race are the types of things we should do in lue of an Obama Presidency if we want to maximize the benefit of having a Black man as president.

He can have a coronation from the First Tuesday in November until inauguration day in January; but after the grinning, he’s to be held accountable to responding to our agenda. If he were to not be responsive, then he is to be opposed. No passes like you gave your last “first Black president” who didn’t do shit for us but pay us lip service.

The post-racial argument must be stumped down in it’s tracks as there can be no reform of racist institutions and practices in America if the racism is not acknowledge to it’s fullest extent. It never has been fully acknowledged, that’s why it still persists; and diminishing its recognition to decreasing levels of minimialization would be detrimental to our cause. Hence, we should be out in front of controlling the public discourse on this issue, and providing sound, well articulated and understandable argument about how racism persist and affects racial minorities in society; and how the election of one Black man by a minority of white American’s votes, doesn’t change that reality.

I think the above would be far more fruitful than the staunch, unrelenting Black critics of Obama who apparently feel that he running on anything short of the Black Panther 10 Point Plan as his expressed policy, makes him unworthy of Black support; and therefore want to ridicule him on the campaign trail and derail his candidacy. How they think John McCain and Hillary Clinton will benefit Black people, I don’t know; and they never respond when asked.

Black think tanks and social advocacy groups should have some practical actions and specific goals to present to president Obama, and then we should continuously hold him in judgment as to his administration’s progress in pushing towards these ends. Here’s just some ideal of what we need to detail and articulate as far as issue aside from those that universal to most Americans in general:

We want a push back in the erosion of affirmative action, particularly in higher education; racial profiling rooted out of the practice of law enforcement patrolling federal high ways, real changes in education that recognizes and deals with people coming from different circumstances and how public schooling can be responsive to that; A Justice Department that vigorously investigates and prosecutes discrimination in commercial practices and in law enforcement, as well as vigorously prosecutes racial intimidation and so-called ‘hate crimes’; we need prosecution disparities addressed, as well as the criminalization of Black youth; safe residency for those in federally funded housing (think Dunbar Village for instance), more early intervention for ‘at risk youth’, etc.

Obama must be held to addressing these needs, and if he were not to; we must not let him slide just because he’s the Black guy.

As I’ve said before, having a Black face in a high place is not the prize. Symbolism does nothing for us.

*Note: My comment on the 10 Point Plan is not a swipe against it, as I mostly agree with the plan except the guaranteed income part; but the point is, it’s a losing cause to run on it as ones EXPRESSED policy.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 6th, 2008 at 5:26 pm and is filed under Politics, Social Commentary. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.