By now, most of us are fully aware of the earth-shattering commentary which has been deemed, the “Obama-Father’s-Day-Speech.” Upon a moment’s digestion of the entire-transcript, what I felt could only be described as a cold-chill ricocheting through my entire body. I was aghast at the level of verbal-assault and linguistical-jab, that Barack Obama felt was necessary to lay upon the pulpit of absent fathers within the Black Community. It was a politically-calculated move that I believe if thought-through properly, should have been evaded, or at least, truncated. In his statements, reminiscent of the 2004 “Bill Cosby Pound-Cake Speech,” Senator Obama spoke sternly about the tragedy of most single-parent homes. Drawing inspiration from his personal background, Barack was unequivocal about the essentiality of shared-responsibility among a ‘double-spoused’ household. Sen. Obama, like the Biblical tale of ‘Daniel in the Lion’s Den,’ tackled the beast of irresponsible Black men, who had abandoned their obligation to children they helped create. “Any fool can have a child,” the Senator said, as he gleefully tore down the walls of self-comfort that some Black males have sought-out as refuge. With concerted-awareness of the statistics upon which the Illinois Senator structured his commentary, it would appear explicitly evident, that Barack was accurate in his fierce-confrontation of negligent Black Fathers, but the tenor and tone of his speech, might delineate a contrasting viewpoint.
One of the more remarkable moments in his commentary, was an acknowledgment of a perceived self-contradiction, as he advocated for a father-Figure in the home, while being himself, absent as a result of his run for the presidency. He said, “I say this knowing that I have been an imperfect father – knowing that I have made mistakes and will continue to make more; wishing that I could be home for my girls and my wife more than I am right now.” He also touched upon the need to overlook the disparaging images of Black girls and Women featured on TV screens, while simultaneously creating a vision of greatness that one can draw motivation from. It does appear to be, yet another moment of hypocrisy, as The Carnegie Mellon University student newspaper “The Tartan,” reported in April 2008, of a Michelle Obama Event, where the coordinator, requested “more white people” for the backdrop of her stage. The report states, “While the crowd was indeed diverse, some students at the event questioned the practices of Mrs. Obama's event coordinators, who handpicked the crowd sitting behind Mrs. Obama. The Tartan's correspondents observed one event coordinator say to another, "Get me more white people, we need more white people." To an Asian girl sitting in the back row, one coordinator said, "We're moving you, sorry. It's going to look so pretty, though.” In a true-fashion of affirmation for stereotypical-sentiments of Black families, Barack Obama was animated on the issue of TV-Watching within the Black Community. He spoke loosely saying, “It’s great if you have a job; it’s even better if you have a college degree. It’s a wonderful thing if you are married and living in a home with your children, but don’t just sit in the house and watch “SportsCenter” all weekend long. That’s why so many children are growing up in front of the television.” Why Senator Obama felt the internationally celebrated day for Fathers, was suitable for his ‘call-to-order bombshell,’ is anyone’s guess. We do know however, that this moment is not singular, in the history of public figures, capitalizing on a rare-opportunity for remonstration against Black families.
In May 2004, when Bill Cosby was being awarded by the NAACP on the 50th anniversary of the landmark ruling, “Board vs. Education,” it came as a shock to many - after a review of his antics - as he diverted from the nominal-course of an award-reception, to his rant about the name-selection for black babies, the issue of underage-sex, and a disparity between Political-Prisoners vs. ‘warranted police-brutality.’ As expected, following the speech, subsequent outrage boiled from the black community in stark-disagreement with the viewpoints expressed by Mr. Cosby. Nevertheless, many believed that old-age had more to do with his feelings, than any other factor. Barack Obama is at least 20 yrs. younger than Bill Cosby, leaving me to wonder what the retort from the Black Community will be this time around. So far, the most startling of Barack Obama’s recent remarks, seems to be his disregard for the reality that continually threatens Black neighborhoods. One of the more unbelievable statements made on that fateful day of June 15, 2008, was; “Yes, we need more cops on the street. Yes, we need fewer guns in the hands of people who shouldn’t have them. Yes, we need more money for our schools, and more outstanding teachers in the classroom, and more afterschool programs for our children. Yes, we need more jobs and more job training and more opportunity in our communities. But we also need families to raise our children.” The issue of an added 'BUT,’ following an admission of those forces of evil that have systematically and structurally crippled black families, is one which must be raised to the presumptive Democratic nominee. How ironic is it, that Barack Obama has claimed with great passion to be on the run for the Presidency of ALL America, not just BLACK America, and yet, he chides the Black Community, as though he was a native son? This is one encumbrance I am fearful the senator would be unable to elude. I suggest he take a second-look at that ‘Black-Value-System,’ drummed up by “Trinity United Church of Christ,” as a manuscript for what is acceptable within Black-quarters.
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