So sad that our “leaders” cannot, will not, cloak him in the mantle he so clearly deserves. These same “leaders” have withdrawn their support and spend countless hours on talk radio dissecting and dismembering the senator. Can’t wait to hear what they have to say – next month – Black History Month

We are in an argument that merits no discussion Case closed, hopefully

I would like to thank you for your SHOCK AND AWE commentary in the January 29, 2007 Defender. I was initially shocked that you said it and then in awe that you were right. I never cease — although I should according to ‘Pavlov’s law’ — to be astounded at the philosophy, mind-set and reasoning of African Americans (I believe it’s self hatred at the root of all these vain philosophies). We are so narrow minded that we can’t even appreciate our own broad range of lifestyles — should we not by now have some fruit of the labor of so many African Americans that sacrificed at least for the last couple of centuries? … “…and that’s all I have to say about that”.

Is being black being ignorant, contentious, envious – do we all have to literally be “niggers” in order
to pass this self-imposed litmus test? Who do we really want as role models four our children; 50 cents
or barack obama?

The South will rise again – with the Klan (in the cut) and black intelligentsia/ and blacks miserably
uninformed and lacking rational thinking – these 3 will succeed in destroying years of progress
and yes marching, praying, etc

Finally, there’s Oprah – Why oh why this unfair criticism> She doesn’t claim mixed parentage
(as so many of us do) My grandmother/grandfather uncle,etc was Indian – . . .)
When will we stop this nitpicking? She chose to build a school in Africa – Too black, apparently.

Obama, a product of multi-cultural education – not black enough, apparently. Bill Cosby
black children are not committed to learning – liar, liar, pants on fire!!!! How could he say that
about our poor children who score lower on academic tests than any other group, teen pregnancies
at an all-time low, who act like absolute fools on Maury Povich every afternoon??

We must stop this irrational, mis-guided thinking. It’s becoming pathological

Georgiap /

I think we should question everyone. Maxine Waters and Barbara Lee are
committed, demonstrably so and both of them are concerned about Obama.
While Ron Walters would raise that question about anyone that didn’t see
him, Ron Walters, as an intellectual god of the black community, there are
concerns and there should be. For the most part Obama is an unknown entity.
He hasn’t had a long political history outside of Illinois and let’s be
frank, anyone that the white elite appear to be pushing, should be suspect.

I have read Obama’s first autobiorgraphy and have the second one to read and
still I am cautious because we have been used and abused too often in the
past. Ron Walters can’t tell me who to vote for but I am not convinced by
the white press either. Actually, I would go with Ron before I went with
the white press.

But all that aside, I think the “old guard” referred to in the article is
using a common sense approach of caution. I didn’t read anything in the
article that was inappropriate. What does disturb me are the holes in the
argument. Is the issue that Obama may not be an African American? What
does that mean? He’s in America, its 2007 and he looks like me. He’s
black. He has demonstrated his relationship to and concern for his
constituents in Illinois. He represented AA in the state legislature.

The concerns I have about him have to do with his decision not to vote
against pulling out of Iraq. Aren’t we, the AA community concerned about
the loss of so many young black women and men in a war of profit and world
domination? The question I have is: how does he relate to the issues that
we, as Americans have about the world and the US economy that will surely
impact our lives and those of our children? The questions I have are: what
position will he take on the continuance of the UN; decisions handed down by
The International Court of Justice; the American led attempts to overthrow
Chavez in Venezuela; the impact of trade agreements on fair trade with
countries in this hemishpere and around the world?; who will he put on the
Federal bench when vacancies occur?, on and on. These are AA concerns and
concerns of other Americans as well.

In other words, are we asking the questions that we, as Americans, need
answers to in order to make an informed decision about who to vote for as
the president of the USA in 2008? There is not one America for whites and
others and another for AA. Trust me, what happens to one is going to impact
all of us. We can’t continue to live a myopic existence. If Obama
continues to support the war in Iraq, we lose. If he continues to ignore
rulings against the US in the world courts, we lose. If he can’t get
Congress to address the trade deficit-meaning the war in Iraq and everywhere
else that is syphoning off all our resources, and the manufacturing hegemony
of China- we lose. If he is too weak, too scared, too beholden, to
uncommitted to the AA community to demand the expansion of equality and
equity, then we lose. Not just we, the AA community, but we, the US
population.

Why do we continue to fight over nothing? Wouldn’t we have been better off
now, if the “black intellegencia” had supported both Booker T. Washington
and Dubois, A. Phillip Randolp and the communist League, Malcolm X, the
Black Panthers and Civil Rights organizations? While I know Derrick Bell’s
answer would be: “probably not”, who can say for sure, since we continue to
hold down everyone by our divisiveness.

For once, it would be nice to see us think through our needs in unison and
ask the questions that we need answers to. Yes, we need to move forward
but we need to rely on ourselves more too. We need to remember that the
21st century is the continuation of the 20th century and everything from
before has come with it. If we are interested in changing that, then we
need to be clear about our role in our history. For me, it is not only
Obama we need to question, but ourselves. Do we know what we want, need and
how we can go about getting it?

If we can answer those questions, then we can make the decision about who we
need to take us to another level of being on this planet.

Barack Obama spent years organizing in the Black community. On the ground. How much more ‘ authentic’ does the man have to be?

He’s a TRUE African-American.

I’m so weary about this mess.

We as a community better WAKE UP.

I don’t have 8 kids by 8 ‘ Baby Daddy’s.
I’ve never been on welfare.
I’ve never lived ‘ in da hood’.
I’ve never been involved with a drive-by shooting.
I didn’t drop out of high school.

I was raised by BOTH of my parents, in a two-parent home.My father was good Black man who got up and went to work everyday, and came home to my mother, to whom he showed honor and respect everyday they were married until the day he died a little after their 28th anniversary. My 2 sisters and I finished high school, then college and graduate school.

I am no less Black than anyone else. Mine was an ‘authentic’ Black experience.

Mr. Obama does not have a ‘black’ problem. A father from the continent by direct lineage certainly makes him ‘Black.’ There is an undercurrent among American born and raised
‘black’ African Americans whose ancestry is traced back generations in America. We choose to call ourselves African Americans for political and cultural reasons. Our culture here in America is an homogenized ‘african’ culture (based on what we define as African other than DNA). Much of what we deem as Black Conciousness is homogenized intellectual choice so we have a broad race identity. This was formed mainly as a response to being stripped of language, culture and customs from Africa.

Yes we define ourselves as African American, in reality we are a mixed race group identifying with pseudo-Africanized culture in America.
So Brother Obama is looked at askance by ‘us’. Why ? He IS 21st century America. Directly mixed race, intelligent, world traveled and educated outside of what we know as American ‘blackness.’

WE have to either clearly define who/what WE are before we can get into the slanderous mode of questioning someone’s blackness.

Three generations removed I have African, Native American and Irish roots, yet I was raised as a Black man in Altgeld Gardens, Carver Hign School, Chicago. I believe my genotype is more normative of ‘Black’ men than American born ‘African’ men.

Thus we have our own version of African American Xenophobia when it comes to leadership.
A Brother is always questioned if Euro-Americans say they will/actually vote for him.
Let us question ourselves about ‘race’ before we question Barak Obama’s ‘Blackness’ or ‘blackness.’

Keep on keepin’ on,
Fronse W. (Akintunde Kafule) Pellebon Smith

ps And yes I have travelled to Africa…a lot !

Whether it be referring to their “bruhs and sistahs” or their “peeps” or claiming alliance with the Bloods or Crips when it does them good and shunning them when it would do them bad to flaunt that association (see also Tookie Williams and all of his see-saw supporters). Or whether it is claiming we can’t get invited to speak on anything other than racial issues and yet when we do get that invitation, only speaking to the racial issues we have ingrained so far under our skin. Or even pulling the race card when there was no reason for it at all.

Instead of being happy for a human being who just may be similar in race, face, color, country, county or creed to us, we now want to judge the validity of his background and race. The more things change the more they stay the same.

Will Smith summed it up pretty much to the T when he said this:

“Maybe I should just have a shoot out
Run up in the bank, bustin’, grabbin’ all the loot out
Whoop somebody ass, taking my boot out
Right on TV so ya’ll can see me
Just ignorant, attacking, actin’ rough
I mean, then will I be black enough
Oh wait maybe I’ll jack a truck
Full of cigarettes, guns & drugs & stuff”