We’ve heard it so much on the campaign trail that at this point it’s as common as watching candidates shake hands and kiss babies. The “it” I’m referring to is the ever-present question, “Is Barack Obama black enough?” The question is so ludicrous, so insulting and yet so ubiquitous that after months of attempting to address it with as much grace, dignity and subtlety as possible, Barack Obama finally went THERE, as black folks sometimes say.
Appearing before a crowd of thousands at the National Association of Black Journalists Convention, Obama addressed a variety of issues before interviewer Byron Pitts of CBS asked his final question. To be fair, the question was not “Is Barack Obama black enough,” but instead, what gives Obama hope that America is ready for a black president?
Obama, to his credit, took the opportunity to appropriately reprimand black journalists for being in part responsible for launching the “Is Obama black enough?” bandwagon. According to CNN contributor Roland Martin, Obama accurately noted that, “‘What it really does is really lay bare, I think, that we’re still locked in this notion that if you appeal to white folks then there must be something wrong,’ he said, adding it’s the same sort of suspicion many blacks face when they attend a predominately white Ivy League institution.”
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/
And there you have it.
What has been so troubling about the “Is Obama black enough?” question is that it gets at the heart of the black community’s current crisis, in education, unemployment—the list goes on. The crisis being that as early as elementary school, black children are taught by their peers (and sometimes subconsciously by the adults in their lives) that to be smart, to get good grades, to speak grammatically correct English, and to get along with people of different races is to “act White.” Which begs the obvious question: What exactly does it mean to “act black?”
This game of OREO, (the playground taunt used to accuse a black student of being black on the outside but white on the inside), is one that my black friends and I are all too familiar with. We have succeeded in the classroom and in the boardroom. In essence, we have lived the dream that Dr. King so eloquently spoke of. And yet instead of our entire community celebrating, there will always be those who accuse us, just as they have accused Obama, of “acting White.”
By finally and firmly addressing the inanity of this accusation, Obama sent a message: “Yes, I’m black. Yes I’m proud. But I’m also mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore.”
There is an entire group of black Americans who no doubt will applaud his willingness to shut this game of OREO down once and for all. Who knows, perhaps one day the definition of “acting black” will no longer be a rapper or an athlete but a president.
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The debate around Obama’s blackness should be reframed. It’s not a question of “Is America ready for a Black President.” At this moment in history someone should proclaim “America needs a Black President.” Nations run by people of color don’t want to deal with the racial representation of global oppressors. Why do you think they are bucking? America has been run and led by white men since its genesis – an overwhelming extension of the European colonialism that has touched every country on this planet. Hillary may win at home, but will fail abroad since certain nations don’t give all do respect to women, canceling her out as being a force to negotiate peace in a foreign, volatile land. It will take a Black Man to get to the table of negotiations, listen to disgruntled nations’ grievances and move forward with resolving so much of the tension that has been created by nations run by white men who have ignited centuries of conflict across the globe. America needs a Black President to restore our relationships abroad. Peace
I’m glad this issue came up at the convention and that Obama put it to rest. Enough. It’s silly.
I was honored to be a Host Committee member for an Obama for Senate fundraiser held in NYC and was able to meet the now presidential candidate. I found him charming, elegant, and genuine. A real brother, for sure. I look forward to pulling the lever in favor of his candidacy.
To me the issue is simply a deep mental illness that effects blacks in this country , irregardless of socio-economic background. This idea that anything that seems positive is reservered for white people is exactly why black people are in the situation they are in. Let me give you an example. If a black person were to see a black male dressed like a thug walking down the street.. no one would ever! assume or say ” oh i think he dates white women”…but if that person saw a educated white collar black professional she would assume ” he dates white women”.. what’s my point? my point is, that subconsciously black folk relate “good” qualities like “education, well cultured, speaks well, etc” to white folk.. and relate “not so good qualities” to black folk… Thus, a black male with good qualities can only be with a white woman, because they “deserve” it.. but the thug ” well thats more our(black folk) speed”…
BTW, I am a black male. So I’m talking not out of ignorance
The “black enough” train of thought is outdated and usually reserved for an older but shrinking generation of Americans who are of the pre-civil rights era. The question is one of which Malcolm X is likely to ask than Martin L King.
As an graduate of a HBCU, I’ve witness first hand a growing generation of young Americans who are not of the homogenous stereotypes that “Cecil” mentions in an earlier blog. Quite frankly, when was the last time the mass media did a cover story on the plight of black America under 40?
Obama’s success is a reflection of a new America where you can and will be judge by your character and not by the color of your skin. Go O Go!