Posted on 03/02/2012 11:51:10 AM PST by nickcarraway
For many centuries, the epitome of African American achievement has been to become the first black president. We once talked about it like it was the impossible dream, or the ultimate sign that we have arrived. Well, Barack Obama didn’t just talk about the dream, he went out and turned it into a reality.
So, here we are, with the keys to the Oval Office. When the Obamas moved in physically, many of “us” moved into the White House psychologically. The Obama’s marriage was our own, and our sense of protection of the president and his family was the kind that tends to be reserved for our closest relatives.
With that said, the question becomes, “How do we properly contextualize President Obama in black American history?”
Well, one thing we know is that it would be quite dangerous to describe President Obama as the most accomplished black man in the history of the United States. To make such a claim would be to say that being popular among white Americans might be an important precondition for African Americans to be “successful.” The gifts of true freedom, respect and equality are not granted willingly in a historically racist society. Typically, equality means competition, and it’s hard to compete with someone for valuable resources and expect them to like you at the same time.
So, in many ways, individuals such as the late Malcolm X and even Louis Farrakhan have achieved as much success as President Obama, even though they are/were not popular with mainstream America. Farrakhan and Malcolm have long taught lessons of self-sufficiency that empower African Americans, but also alienate us when we are perceived as being too “radical.” Malcolm reminded us, very clearly, that someone liking you can be very different from someone actually respecting you.
It is also problematic to compare the feats of President Obama to those of Martin Luther King and other civil rights leaders of the past. President Obama is not a civil rights leader or a black leader; he is an American leader. In that regard, he can’t be compared directly with Martin Luther King, Malcolm X or even the first runaway slave. He has his own unique place in history, which will be debated for centuries, but his being black doesn’t automatically turn him into the next MLK.
Another thing that must be kept in mind is that having a national impact is not always the same as having an impact on the African American community. You can compare it to the parent who goes off and earns millions for himself vs. the parent who earns far less but gives all of his income to his family. President Obama’s contributions to America are undeniable. But we should not always assume that his gifts to America are gifts to the black community. Our collective decision to remain politically silent during the Obama presidency argues that Obama’s gifts to America were largely the result of our decision to sacrifice our rights to true democracy.
Is President Obama an outstanding figure in black American history? Absolutely. Is he the greatest black man to have ever lived? Probably not. How Obama measures up is in the eye of the beholder, but we must make sure that our eyes are not blinded by the shine of wealth and power that comes with being in the White House. Obama’s legacy as an African American historical figure should be judged primarily by tangible evidence of his sacrifices and gifts to the black community, and not by his popularity among the descendants of our historical oppressors.
For how many centuries, exactly, "Dr." Watkins?
Half baked question.
No
Because she’s the first African-American woman to win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for playing a maid in post racist Obamaca! You can’t count Hattie McDowell because she won for playing a maid in racist America. SEE?!
Because she’s the first African-American woman to win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for playing a maid in post racist Obamaca! You can’t count Hattie McDowell because she won for playing a maid in racist America. SEE?!
No. I’d even dispute that he’s an outstanding figure in black American history, at least in any sort of positive sense.
Vivian Thomas, yes
Barack Obama, no
Bet most of you never even heard on Mr. Thomas, the highschool educated janitor who invented open heart surgery
Typical white people? Surely you jest. Grand Parents were Marxist to the core, and momma was a teenage whore, that managed to travel extensively, in her quest to move up the Commie chain to become merely a slut.
President Barack Obama’s Complete List of Historic Firsts
Yes, he’s great, alright.
• First President to Preside Over a Cut to the Credit Rating of the United States Government
• First President to Violate the War Powers Act
• First President to Orchestrate the Sale of Murder Weapons to Mexican Drug Cartels
• First President to issue an unlawful “recess-appointment” while the U.S. Senate remained in session (against the advice of his own Justice Department).
• First President to be Held in Contempt of Court for Illegally Obstructing Oil Drilling in the Gulf of Mexico
• First President to Defy a Federal Judge’s Court Order to Cease Implementing the ‘Health Care Reform’ Law
• First President to halt deportations of illegal aliens and grant them work permits, a form of stealth amnesty roughly equivalent to “The DREAM Act”, which could not pass Congress
• First President to Require All Americans to Purchase a Product From a Third Party
• First President to Spend a Trillion Dollars on ‘Shovel-Ready’ Jobs — and Later Admit There Was No Such Thing as Shovel-Ready Jobs
• First President to sue states for requiring valid IDs to vote, even though the same administration requires valid IDs to travel by air
• First President to Abrogate Bankruptcy Law to Turn Over Control of Companies to His Union Supporters
• First President to Bypass Congress and Implement the DREAM Act Through Executive Fiat
• First President to Threaten Insurance Companies After They Publicly Spoke out on How Obamacare Helped Cause their Rate Increases
• First President to Threaten an Auto Company (Ford) After It Publicly Mocked Bailouts of GM and Chrysler
• First President to “Order a Secret Amnesty Program that Stopped the Deportations of Illegal Immigrants Across the U.S., Including Those With Criminal Convictions”
• First President to Demand a Company Hand Over $20 Billion to One of His Political Appointees
• First President to Terminate America’s Ability to Put a Man into Space.
• First President to Encourage Racial Discrimination and Intimidation at Polling Places
• First President to Have a Law Signed By an ‘Auto-pen’ Without Being “Present”
• First President to Arbitrarily Declare an Existing Law Unconstitutional and Refuse to Enforce It
• First President to Tell a Major Manufacturing Company In Which State They Are Allowed to Locate a Factory
• First President to refuse to comply with a House Oversight Committee subpoena.
• First President to File Lawsuits Against the States He Swore an Oath to Protect (AZ, WI, OH, IN, etc.)
• First President to Withdraw an Existing Coal Permit That Had Been Properly Issued Years Ago
• First President to Fire an Inspector General of Americorps for Catching One of His Friends in a Corruption Case
• First President to Propose an Executive Order Demanding Companies Disclose Their Political Contributions to Bid on Government Contracts
• First President to allow Mexican police to conduct law enforcement activities on American soil
• First President to Golf 90 or More Times in His First Three Years in Office
But remember: he will not rest until all Americans have jobs, affordable homes, green-energy vehicles, and the environment is repaired, etc., etc., etc
don’t get black folks going on Cleopatra’s true ancestry.
Trust me, it’s like wearing a red shirt in Crips territory.
Where was the mandatory BARF ALERT? Gonna take a week to get all these chunks out from between the keys here.
Hattie MCDANIEL
Hands down a better actress than most you’d see today, of any race.
I've worked with blacks; I've commanded blacks; and in one assignment my commanding officer was a black. Every one of them earned my respect.
In comparing Obama with them, in my opinion he doesn't even come close. Every one of them was a better human being than Obama ever will be. The idea that he is some kind of role model for blacks is ridiculous on the face of it. I've known blacks who were far better role models than he is.
If he’s “greatest black” at anything, it would be scam artist.
Well, first off he'd have to be a man.
You’ve got that right and, yet we don’t hear anything about
Mr. G. W. Carver anymore.
You’ve got that right and, yet we don’t hear anything about
Mr. G. W. Carver anymore.
You’ve got that right and, yet we don’t hear anything about
Mr. G. W. Carver anymore.
You’ve got that right and, yet we don’t hear anything about
Mr. G. W. Carver anymore.
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