For only the second tine in my life, and first since his election, I am going to very publicly say that I am in disagreement with President Barack Obama I understand his point in that we should draw courage from the gains made since 50 years ago. However, I must disagree in his emphasis on how things are so much better. Yes, we should take courage in the fact that we are no longer legally bound to segregated living. And sure its a public faux pas to use racist language in public. But when unemployment is still the highest among Black folks, when we are in the bottom strata of educational gains, when our life expectancy is shorter, when we are imprisoned more, when we are killed in the streets with impunity, I am hard pressed to side with some fantastical belief that life is all that much better. And to the point of gradualism; we understand that! We obviously know that. It feels insulting to explain that progress is gradual; we wouldnt be in this situation if it werent the case that progress is in fact gradual! Of course, do remind us that we cannot be weary in well doing-- but first we need to see the well doing! Their must be decisive actions that address the very real racial gaps in our nation-- done fearlessly, acknowledging fully the part that racism plays in creating these disparities. Of course I will watch. But I see this for what it is: Barack Obama tryna get the Black community back on his side and in his good graces. Well to this I say, sir, we have held you down for the last 6 years. We love you, publicly and privately. You are the fixation of our hope and dreams. And yet, we have felt abandoned by you. I-- the man who wrote my college essays about you, and used your name for my online account passwords, and spent many of my weekends and after work time and summer vacations campaigning for you in BOTH elections AND for any OFA priority legislation of yours- I feel abandoned by you. Do not disappoint us when we need you most!
Posted on: Mon, 08 Dec 2014 05:33:08 +0000
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