Your Black World: Barack Obama: The Test Of Black CommUNITY

Barack Obama: The Test of Black CommUNITY
By: Tolu Olorunda
Staff Writer - YourBlackWorld.com

“But we must understand that we are now at a stage of struggle for a People’s Democracy… The mass support of Obama by the national Afro-American movement, especially its progressive sector, will reinvigorate our struggle… We must enter into that mainstream struggle & make our own demands, utilize the pressure of our needs & our numbers. We are almost 50 million people with the 16th GNP in the world... almost 600 Billion dollars a year. We have the muscle and the money. We need to make our move.”

- Renowned Poet and Activist, Amiri Baraka, in a speech earlier this year.

The Black CommUNITY has laid its bed and must now lie in it. To be sure, this author is not particularly pleased with the 95% level of unconditional support from the Black CommUNITY, vis-à-vis Obama’s presidential bid. Nevertheless, Obama’s unpredictable popularity within the Black CommUNITY is a testament to an often glossed over, deep-seated desire/potential for divine unity of the Black CommUNITY. Obama’s candidacy, thankfully, buttressed this reality in unequivocal terms. Many have privately joked, over the past week, about the seeming impossibility of the Black CommUNITY agreeing on any specific agenda, let alone a political one. Some have quipped that the last time such unprecedented levels of support was rendered in favor of anything, O.J. Simpson was on trial for double murder. The comedic value of such statement notwithstanding, its veracity is unquestionable. Having rallied around this man, with unwavering support, let there be no more excuses for our disunity, or inability to remain unified around the ultimate cause: Total liberation.

On at least three key issues, the world will need the assistance of the Black CommUNITY to emerge victorious: AFRICOM, GLOBAL POVERTY and RACIAL INEQUALITY.

On Africom, a militarization and heist of Africa’s natural resources, Obama’s thin record is troubling, at best. Sen. Obama has suggested that, “There will be situations that require the United States to work with its partners in Africa to fight terrorism with lethal force. Having a unified command operating in Africa will facilitate this action.” These “partners” in Africa knew better than to accept the offer to host Africom in their country. If the Black CommUNITY is to avoid being perceived as enablers of the rape and ravish of their brother/sister’s land, it must act now to prevent the germination of this unholy scheme. Inaction is not an option.

On Global Poverty, Sen. Obama has been extremely vague when addressing the plight of the impoverished. Ever since Sen. John Edwards dropped out of the presidential race, the issue of poverty dissipated into a nameless agenda. Edwards’ campaign of highlighting the ranging disparities between the Two Americas, as he called it, swiftly found itself under the rug. With John Edwards’ disappearance, following news of his extramarital deeds. Sen. Obama, having arduously solicited Edwards’s endorsement in the primaries, saw no more use for the man who launched his campaign in Hurricane-stricken New Orleans. Worse than the truncated highlights of poverty in the presidential race, was the narrow-minded belief that poverty in the U.S. best represents the world’s trauma. But long before folks in the U.S. were losing their jobs, humanity was at a loss for words, with people in Haiti, Cuba, Somalia, Ethiopia etc. living on less than a dollar a day. The Black CommUNITY must see to it that the struggle to put an end to global destitution is addressed within the next 48 months.

Racial Inequality has been, regrettably, sidelined in the course of the 2008 presidential bid. One esteemed newspaper would, upon Obama’s victory, declare racism a “myth.” The Black CommUNITY is, however, not amused. For a people who have suffered the brutal tyranny of oppression for centuries, such uninformed inferences are only a sobering reminder of the daunting task ahead. In the course of Obama’s presidency, there will be those who would seek to use a Black presidency as the avenue to make claims that Blacks have overcome every impediment put in way of their progress. The appropriate response should be to confront such challenges to our humanity head-on, but to also keep in remembrance our duty to achieve racial equality for every faction of society whose livelihood is daily suppressed by the egomaniacal appetite of big money corporations. We must side with our Latin-American brothers/sisters, and encourage them to fight, even harder, for the God-given right to a livable wage. We must, as well, consider the dignity of our Arab brethren as sacrosanct. Any and all attempts to dismiss their integrity should be forcefully admonished. The beauty of the Black CommUNITY lies in its inherent ability to fight on behalf of those who once oppressed it.

If President-Elect Obama’s recent appointments are any signal, it is clear that our unity is the only strategy capable of guaranteeing stability in the next 4 years. If we end up, 4 years from now, in worse shape than we are now, the blame must be squarely placed on our shoulders. Mass organizing, unrivaled in human history, seems to be the only solution for the dilapidated levels of humanity in which our people are presently entrenched. It would be a shame, a damn shame, if our judgment is clouded by the emotional pull of a Black presidency. Change certainly doesn’t come by wishing or hoping – the civil rights movement taught us that. It is written in one of the holy books, that “Faith without works is dead.” The neo-liberal fan base has displayed, following Obama’s victory, a sheer unwillingness to question, let alone to criticize, let alone to condemn any policies of an Obama administration, deemed deleterious to the internationally disenfranchised society. BlackCommentator.com Editorial Board member and Columnist, Dr. Lenore Daniels, expressed concern about this in her Election Special column, stating: “The day after, the Black Philadelphians on Chilton Avenue are still smiling. Still shouting Obama, Obama! It’s still incredible. An African American in the White House! In the meantime, President-elect Obama offers Congressman Rohm Emmanuel (D-Ill) the position of White House Chief of Staff. Pro-Israel, pro-war, Emmanuel! And the Left, waving a victory flag, says it will offer criticism - starting in January!” There’s no doubt that our work is challenging and confronting. However, if the Black CommUNITY was capable of transporting a relatively unknown Senator to the highest seat of the land, let there be no excuses for our negligence to do likewise in matters concerning, Social Justice, Economic Independence and Racial Equality. In the words of a departed civil rights hero, “Can we do it? We can do it, we shall do it!”

Reprinted From Black Commentator

Your Black World: Barack Obama, and the Dark Cloud of Infallibility

By: Tolu Olorunda

Barack Obama, having been born to a Kenyan Father, must be accountable to Africans, Africa and its descendants. His life story seems to have gripped the hearts and minds of millions around the world, but a much darker cloud hovers around the man known to many - both Black and White - as the 'Change machine.' Whether Obama's fans and supporters muster up the courage to admit this fact or not, not much can be deducted from the reality that the Illinois Senator has numerously spat in the face of Africans, African Americans, South-Americans and Palestinians. If Sen. Obama is not pressured by the African-American Community into re-thinking his policies vis-a-vis Africa, Sen. Obama would, knowingly or unknowingly, incorporate the identity of what the grand-educator, Dr. John Henrik Clarke described as, "Brown Skin White Men." Africans in Africa have, for an extended period of time, experienced the phenomenon of dark-skinned presidents with Eurocentric interests and sensibilities. The only difference between what has been, and what might become, is the vehement disapproval and dissent from amongst the oppressed constituency which has historically set a precedent. Unfortunately, what many African-Americans are failing to realize, is that this moment in history would mark a rare occurrence in which a Black Man with a record of anti-African ideologies, gets elected president. This would inevitably further the already established rift between Africans and African-Americans -- as Africans would look over the horizon and see the perpetrator of oppression and repression in Africa as a Black man, courtesy of a 90% approval rating amongst the Black American Community. Obama knows this, but callously proceeds with his mythical call for inter-racial and inter-ethnic unity. He has chosen to walk a path that overwrites his African Ancestry. As a Son of Africa and America, Obama understood, more than most, that there comes a time when one must shed the cloak of double-play, and pick a side to fight for, and on behalf of. It is at this point, unequivocally clear, which side Obama is rooting for.

As the well-packaged NBA playoffs ad went, "There can only be one." It is virtually impossible for any sitting president to straddle the fence between good and evil. In the wildfire sport of American politics, it is imperative that one pick what team to play on. This reality became increasingly obvious, when Dennis Kucinich was openly refused podiums at 'Democratic' debates, in spite of the illegality involved. It also played out in the John Edwards campaign -- as many saw 2008 as his year and moment to finally clinch the Democratic Party presidential nomination after two unsuccessful attempts in the past. Little did John Edwards know, that running on a platform which strived to pick up where Dr. King left off vis-a-vis poverty, would automatically handicap any such political endeavors. Barack Obama, much to the oblivion of his fan base, has chosen to play the field for the most egregious lobbyists and serial-capitalists this nation - and really the world - has to offer. It will be a shame if the efforts of Margaret Kimberly, Glen Ford, Paul Street, Bruce Dixon and Adolf Reed Jr. fall short of the intended mark: resurrecting the millions of Obama zombies who clap and chant at his every word. His many supporters argue that Senator Obama's historic presidential bid is a lasting inspiration for young Black and Brown kids who have been relegated to hopelessness and despondency at the thought of being underrepresented - if at all represented - by the former and present presidents of their country. I respectfully disagree.

Black and Brown kids are not dumb or incapable of political analysis. They are well aware of the back-bending, tap-dancing and circus-clowning that Barack Obama has had to execute to make White folks feel comfortable enough to vote for him. They have witnessed his relentless extrication from "Black" and "Brown" and "Native-American"-specific issues, and his constant willingness to pursue and publicly tackle those "white only" subject-matters. They have heard his unforgivable remarks after the verdict in the Sean Bell case, and his condescending comments hurled at Black parents who are financially-disempowered and unable to provide nutritional meals for their kids, so therefore feed their kids the remnant from the previous night's fast-food snack (He used Popeyes as an example). They also witnessed his thundering remonstration against Black Men in his infamous "Father's Day Speech," in which he claimed that Black Men were somehow predisposed to sitting in the house and watching "SportsCenter all weekend long” -- notwithstanding the fact that in a previous interview, he admitted to “Monday Night Football” being his "favorite TV Show" and watching "a lot of SportsCenter — for better or worse.” Black and Brown kids are well informed about his unabashed endorsement of Africom -- a clear militarization, pulverization and westernization of African soil and oil. Black and Brown kids don't need CNN to decipher Obama's naiveté, and the exploitation of it by Washington Insiders and political-sophists (also known as strategists). They can also decode the science behind Rev. Jesse Jackson's vulgar but veracious condemnation of Obama's vicious disposal towards Black Americans, and the immediate and detectable difference in Obama's rhetoric afterwards. They view Rev. Jesse's conduct as a God-given right to forcefully push Sen. Obama in the direction of righteousness. Many Black and Brown kids are not inspired, but inhibited.

On August 1, in a campaign rally at St. Petersburg, Florida, something timely happened: Obama was, for the first time in a long time, doused with a dose of reality. Like the biblical tale of the 'three wise men' who overcame numerous hurdles in favor of fulfilling a prophetic mission, three young Black men from the Uhuru Movement - under the leadership of Chairman Omali Yeshitela - stood up, with great candor, and challenged Obama to a roll call of 'Black and African specific Issues.' One would imagine that the once-community-organizer would excel exceedingly well in a field he has occasionally boasted to have 'majored-in.' But what ensued for the next 5 minutes, could only be described as a singular coherent-line of "I think you are misinformed," and a marathon of stuttering that would make Moses blush. Barack Obama's concertgoers were being introduced to another side of him that they - quite obviously - weren't prepared to see. To shield their precious Obama from this unusual moment of embarrassment, his supporters drowned the cry, compassion and cause of Diop Olugbala - the lead protester - in emotional chants of "Yes We Can." The crowd's display was reminiscent of the very first episode of the animated political-show, "The Boondocks," in which the lead character, "Huey," at a Garden Party, spoke pejoratively and disparagingly of Ronald Reagan, Mel Gibson and White people in general -- much to the adoration and admiration of the nearly all-white listening audience. Explaining this phenomenon to his Granddad, he said, "They love me. These people aren't worried about us. They're not worried about anything. They're rich. No matter what happens, these people just keep applauding." Senator Obama, in a very disturbing way personifies this character -- as the man in their eyes, who can do no wrong. At the incipient of the Uhuru protest, one witnesses certain White members in the crowd, who leaped from their sit to silence the activists, and upon Obama's immediate censure of the heckling, their applause and chants only accelerated.

When the issue of the Green Party is raised and how Cynthia McKinney - with the assistance of Rosa Clemente - can be an exceptional asset in exerting progressive pressure upon Obama's candidacy, many - including Renowned poet, Amiri Baraka - deplore the very thought. But how else is Sen. Obama to answer the clarion call of the Black Community if no threat to his rigid fan base within that very community is established? With this reality, I'm compelled to believe that not only are the bulk of Obama's supporters unwilling to face the truth, but they have become de-synthesized to the crisis and potential failures that could erupt from his presidency -- based on the political platforms and proposals he has, thus far, tabled. The disciples of Barack Obama claim – with much delight – that one of the incentives of an Obama Presidency is the readiness of Barack Obama to be held accountable. This farce was, of course, drafted to convince progressives into perceiving the potential candidacy of Obama as a resource worth tapping into. Regrettably, if Barack Obama truly hopes to be held to the highest standard of accountability, he wouldn’t have failed the first preliminary test so easily. Regardless of the millions who demanded that Mr. Obama not support the FISA legislation he once denounced, Obama proceeded to cast a vote in support of retro-active immunity for the companies which knowingly abetted illegal and corrupt activities. This can’t possibly a good sign of what’s to come. Obamamites choose to disagree, but one thing remains indisputable and irrefutable: If ALL of Obama's supporter-base was, today, awoken from their slumber and sleep-walking, Cynthia McKinney would be the 44th President of the U.S., with Rosa Clemente as her V.P. For Obama's campaign managers, there seems to be a vested interest in keeping his supporters asleep.