What matters-Candidate of the people-Obama08

Franz Fanon and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr wrote about the dilemma of having to choose whether one is black or just a citizen of your country. What does it matter your skin color? This age old question is relevant even today as Senator Barack Obama attempts to become President of the United States of America.


Photo: Gerald People

Critics wants to know, how say you Obama? Black, African, African-American, HalfAfrican, or bi-racial? The answer it seems will determine if Obama will get a nod from African-American voters or not. Earl Ofari Hutchinson writes

in the eyes of many blacks, Obama departs from past black presidential contenders such as Shirley Chisholm, Carol Moseley Braun, and Messrs. Jackson and Sharpton. They were readily identifiable, urban-bred, African-Americans who spoke out boldly on civil rights, poverty, and economic injustice. On the other hand, the racially mixed, Harvard-trained Obama, as the so-called postracial candidate, has soft-pedaled these issues. It's no accident that his appeal among whites seems stronger so far than among blacks.

Hutchinson, a darker hue African-American subtlely suggest that Obama is not a chocolate favored brother who understands what it means to live in a predominately African-American poor community. Obama has lived in a more isolated and protected world because of his raced white mother and grandparents and therefore he is unable to connect to the issues that are destroying black communities.

If true, Obama is not the first contender for Presidency that was of the fairer hue.
Colin Powell, the four star general, was thinking about running for President, and the color or race issue was not a big deal. Why? It's something about this first time out Senator Obama that has the well-established brothers in an uproar.

There is something beyond Obama blackness. Obama had no problem claiming backness.

Obama was not afraid of offending his mother from Kansas, when he identfied himself as being black. Unlike, Tiger Woods who was given the same question and decided to combine his father and mother ethnic background and not offend either parent. Nevertheless, America will still defined him black based on the fact that at least one of his parents was dark in complexion. So Obama claimed his blackness quickly.

Too quickly as he charmed America with blackness.

Obama has charmed raced whites folks, no protests, no marches, no dues paid.

It is that no dues paid by this educated, handsome charming Obama, that has old guard African-Americans in leadership in conference about Obama staying power among the powerbrokers. Obama is too young and the young die early in this game of dues paid. So, old guard leadership decides to hex Obama with the the Martin Luther King, Jr. hex.

Dr. King,Jr. like, Obama was deemed too young for a leadership role in taking his people to the promise land according to old guard ,established African-American leadership way of thinking. So, it is not his lack if blackness that will be their excuse for not supporting the well educated and handsome Obama. The brutal truth is that Obama is too new on the political scene, too untested, too politically nice, too liberal, and most of all, he's an African-American. To blacks even for the well-established old guards, Obama is too black to seriously have a real shot at the White House.

It's a nice way of saying, the old guard does not trust Obama. Pointing out his blackness, is a way of saying they don't believe Obama will stay true to the old guard way of being black by paying dues , keeping them around, if the people elect him to that seat. The old guard has no use for Obama because he is too black. It was Senator Joseph Biden who defined Obama blackness as non-traditional, by stating, he is storybook black. Not quite mainstream, but clean enough, not dirty black, but mixed with raced white to be considered even nice looking.

Clean enough blackness..

Shirley Chisholm experienced similar skepticismof her blackness in her bid for the white house. Shirley was too black because not only was she a first generation black American. And Chisholm, was a black female which made her definitely not part of the old guard leadership style or way of thinking.

Black leadership did not believe she was the right one, labeled an outsider, as well as not a "he". Chisholm had to go it alone,

I stand before you today as a candidate for the Democratic nomination for the presidency of the United States. I am not the candidate of black America, although I am black and proud. I am not the candidate of the women's movement of this country, although I am equally proud of that. I am not the candidate of any political bosses or special interests. I am the candidate of the people.

Chisholm did not wait on old guard leadership approval, she knew she was too black. Obama only knew he was black, not too black.

The old guard have no use for Obama because he is black, he thinks like a black, he is not quite mainstream, taking their lead from Joseph Biden. With all the limelight on Obama, old guard leadearship are worried that corporate America may not be willing to meet their demands. And Obama just may not take them along on his ride because they are not black enough. These old guards feel safe with Hilliary Clinton. Clinton will have to be black enough for these old school blacks and their connection to her husband, former President Bill Clinton.

So Obama does a Chisholm. Obama takes his campaign to the people..to the street. It is here, the grass root folks who believe that Obama is rooted in the essence of what it means to be a black in America. It's in his walk. Watch Obama movement, he lets you know, it is an outsider that can mingle with the insiders without missing a step in his stroll walk. It's a style of blackness in that walk, a coolness, a level head under pressure. Other African-Americans will not vote for Obama because he is black. Obama has not embraced these African-Americans to map out their benefits in voting for him. Obama has not internalized their way of compliance with mainstream politics. Obama is too black in his identity still, for them to jeopardize their connections to raced white power.

But Chisholm said it best,

The next time a woman runs, or a black, or a Jew or anyone from a group that the country is ‘not ready' to elect to its highest office, I believe that he or she will be taken seriously from the start… I ran because somebody had to do it first. In this country, everybody is supposed to be able to run for President, but that has never really been true.

That's the same message Obama gives to this little boy (in the picture below) in Alexandria, Virginia, when his momma asks who shall I vote for?

photo: Gerald People

Virginians :Why Hillary Clinton is not African-American women first choice

This article is for the brothas who do not understand African-American women not automatically choosing Hillary Clinton. If brothas did not get it when hillary told all America that it is raced white people who got African-Americans their civil rightsthey should have got it when Bill suggested that the media needed to go after Obama and stop making Hillary cry. This was enough to bring out the first wave, out of the kitchen women voters for Hilliary and fuel the fire in the belly of the second wave women libbers, and confuse the genderless third wave women activists. But many of the African-Americans women have not forgotten Anita Hill..and her treatment by raced white women to push raced white women agenda.

“The [African-American] woman has occupied a unique if unenviable position in the United States. Historically she has borne the weight of inferior status ad prejudice derived from her [gender] as well as her color.” Treated as less than human, viewed as servant and not quite woman, but a breeder of enslaved children. Unlike raced white women, laws were not created to protect her as the better half of mankind. Although the African-American female suffered humiliate right along with the African-American male, and fought to secure his freedom, she was relegated to remain in her counter part male shadow. But not willing to remain behind, the African-American women had to step from the shadows and seek her own protection for her existence within the society that had casted her simply as invisible.

Through their experience as an African-American and a woman, African-American women have the special role of identifying with two oppressed group. Thus naturally, African-American women essence was more inclusive of others than the other two groups. African-Americans women related to both raced white females and African-American males. The African-American woman understood the African-American man had only been elevated up from slave to the stagnate role of servant. And with that understanding, that the African-American male was settling for less than full citizenship when compared to the raced white woman citizenship, African-Americans would be second class citizens.

African-American women would not settles for being a footstool for raced white women or African-American males.

Through this struggle, of existing in the shadow of both raced white women and African-Americans males,, African-American women were able to craft a political agenda that would meet the future needs of all African-American. In getting there, she had to overcome both race and gender, cby reating some political independent women, “By whatever unstated, immeasurable, invisible standards the American people applied to candidates for Congress, women have seldom been their choice.”

If this was true for raced white women, African-American women were never to be considered a part of the political equation. Three women spoke to the power of African-American women expressing their opinions. In doing so, speaks to the shaping of the history of African-American women in their contributions to the history of America.

Shirley Chisholm-inclusion--outsider- fought for immigrants' right to become citizens and to participant in the electoral process through democracy..a vote for the people by the people. Chisholm, a child of immigrants, in 1968 became the first African-American woman to serve in Congress, served seven terms. Chisholm saw that the political powers were not in recognition of the interest of the people. Chisholm ran on a platform created by the people and for the people by not following the procedure for entering the political arena. Chisholm credibility was established by staying connected to the people and not by who she knew. Chisholm remained with the people as an outsider. In 1972, she ran as the first African-American and African-American woman for President, a hundred years after the first raced white woman, Victoria Woodhull.

Barbara Jordan—diversity inclusion through the Constitution amendment
Jordan believed in the Constitution. Jordan's rally cry was in gratitude for the amendment of the Constitution. The amendment that allowed her to fully participate as a citizen. Jordan had something to contribute in the political and private sphere as an African-American born in the United States. Jordan believed that the constitution laws were color blind and that they applied to all Americans and should be enforced and upheld. Believing so, we was confronted to its greatest challenge, to impeach the former President of the United States, Richard Nixon. In doing so, reaffirmed the rock solid foundation in which the Constitution was drafted for all the people.

Lani Gunier-Dialogue-understanding the meaning of the voting right act purpose. The voting right act purpose was beyond having access to the ballot box. It would provide enough votes to elect African-Americans to political office. Once in political office these individuals would have an insider view in changing the laws that continue to support the exclusion of African-Americans from fully enjoying citizen rights. The voting right act of 1965 would serve a higher purpose than access to the ballot box to elect African-American candidates, it could used to influences legislature to improve the lives of African-Americans by electing those candidates who supported such interests. The interest of African-Americans included so many others.

The ability to influence lawmakers would be through political mobilization of voters creating a majority that supported African-Americans interest. A convergent of an interest group would have the ability to offset the tradition majority rule that excluded so many. This would be a group organized around interest that impact others beyond race.

Gunier, was an African-American Jewish academia who made her argument among her peers for the inclusion of the people who she had earlier represented. Academia encouraged her ideas, however, when her ideas for empowered African-Americans in the public arena, Gunier was silenced, by her long time friend, former President Bill Clinton. Gunier learned that in spite of her academic and professional accomplishment she was discredited as being on the fringe and not part of mainstream for standing up for what she believed in. The price is steep, but the African-American history never said it would be easy.

Read more on gender and race debate here

H/T to Blacksmythe

Also read Read Dr.Marc LamontHill post, February 8, 2008
Why Black Women Don’t Support Hillary