Six years after the election of the first Black president, discrimination and inequality are every bit as much a part of the fabric of U.S. society as ever. Not only that, but the first Black president has said as little as possible about racism and the African American community--even as issues like racial profiling, police violence and the criminalization of Black youth brought the question into the national spotlight. Events like the murders of Mike Brown and Trayvon Martin, as well as the tide of protest that followed both, have permanently changed the way large numbers of people think about the issue of racism and police violence. But the Obama administration and Black Democrats in Congress have said little and done less. Nevertheless, leading Black political figures like Rev. Al Sharpton--not to mention Obama himself--dont hesitate to chastise Black people about the need to get out and vote. In a recent appearance on Sharptons radio show, the president downplayed the problem of new restrictive voter ID laws that have the effect of limiting Blacks right to vote. The real problem, Obama said, was Black apathy: Most of these laws are not preventing the overwhelming majority of folks who dont vote from voting...The reason we dont vote is because people have been fed this notion that somehow its not going to make a difference. It makes a huge difference. The fact of the matter is that weve now had four years of a Republican House of Representatives because in 2010, Democrats didnt vote and Republicans did. In other words, its your fault if the Republicans win. And if youre dissatisfied with how little Democrats are doing, keep it to yourself, because things could always get worse. The Democratic Party relies on the support of Black voters at election time, but it doesnt do anything to deserve that support. The Democrats may pose as the party concerned about racism and inequality, but they are just as likely as Republicans to view the issue through the lens of cynical political calculation, not principle. So in some races, Democrats used the issue of Ferguson and police racism to try to pressure Black voters to go to the polls, while in other races, the party of the people was silent on the issue, out of fear that saying something could alienate white voters. [an excerpt from an editorial in socialistworker.org published 11/4] This editorial makes valid points as to why people are voting in such low numbers. Neither party is representing the people. They are both representing corporate interests. In most cases, your vote doesnt make a difference. Other measures are necessary to effect change in this country. Im posting President Obamas reaction to the Grand Jury decision, which may be removed. Its a whole lot of -sometimes people of color are discriminated against in the judicial system, but not this time. And we have to accept this decision. Im truly disappointed with his acceptance of this racist decision. https://youtube/watch?v=PnVoqXf1axk
Posted on: Tue, 25 Nov 2014 06:19:16 +0000
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