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.
This idea is too stupid to waste disk space.
The greatest black man ever will be the SECOND black President of the USA. It is because Barack Hussein Obama has proven to be one big ass mistake that was borne of white guilt, color blind liberal ideology, black racism, and manipulation by outside sources who wish only to destroy this country.
Should we EVER get rid of him, it will take one exceptional American who happens to be black to regain our trust, my trust, the trust of honest people everywhere.
Booker T. Washington belongs in the most honored group of black men.
Greatest flim flam man maybe
No way in Hell is he even close to the greatness of others who have gone before him. Let’s take Crispus Attucks for one, along with Frederick Douglass, as well as all the black men who put on a uniform and fought for their country through all its conflicts and wars. South Carolinian slave Robert Smalls stole the Confederate ship “Planter” that he was piloting, and brought it safely to the Union Navy. Not only did he later serve in both the U.S. Navy and Army, but he was the founder of the Republican Party in S.C., and one of the first black men to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. They might not have been men, but Sojourner Truth has more greatness in her little finger than Obama, and Harriet Tubman’s greatness far surpasses anything Obama could lay claim to. An escaped slave herself, she repeatedly put herself in harms way to help other escape to the North. I highly doubt Barack Obama knows much about black history, or the people who paved the way for him. He’s a classless, clueless dip$hit.
How about we "contextualixe" him in American history, and jettison the racial garbage.
And the context is, he's a Marxist, and an abortionist, and a racist ... and more than half of Americans who could be bothered to vote, voted for the bastard ... knowing full well exactly what he is.
Black?
According to his birth certificate, he’s category 9, and if category 9 then he’s his mother’s race, white.
If he is, I demand a recount.
Pond Scum comes closer to describing this tyrant.
If we accept the premise that success is conferred through positive accomplishments, then this individual is sorely lacking. The plus column is devoid. sd
LOL!
Agree.
A blackman that I was in the airforce with passed a few months ago, I would put him well ahead of obummer.
He is the most GRATING half-black man around.
I wonder how the media would rate him.
He's not even the greatest black man currently in DC.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA, best title ever.
I had the conversation were i compared obama to the first black baseball player and obooba isn’t in the same league as jackie robinson.
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