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!”
BlackCommentator.com
Columnist, Tolu Olorunda,
is an 18-year-old local activist/writer and a Nigerian immigrant.
Click here
to reach Mr. Olorunda.