My President is Black and I’m Proud

tremaine says:

I honestly don’t think people *really* understand either… This is a nice piece, Glennisha. The pride I’m still feeling right now cannot be expressed through words. Our President is intelligent, has a sensible plan, a cool temperament, and yes… He’s an African American. What more is there to be proud of at this moment? Great snippet!

Cecelia says:

Great piece, love it! I know a lot of people say they elected him because of who he is and thats great. This is a huge step forward in our country in the healing we need to do around racism, violence, slavery, genocide, segregation, stereotyping, prejudices and annihilation of our Native peoples. I am fortunate to have met people from the Native communities here that saw Obama when he went to the Crow Reservation. He was the first to go and campaign on a reservation, ever.

I feel that he is really breaking down more walls for all of us so we can have the courage and strength to make a better way in this country. I am so thankful to be living at this time on Earth.

Muhammad K says:

I guess, were you a slave, you’d be proud you were owned and being whipped by a house negro rather than a white slave owner. I have no pride in Barack. You’re free to feel pride in having him as your president, but I take a lot of offense when you tell people to remember Malcolm X, or other truly revolutionary blacks, and then express views completely contrary to what they stood for. Malcolm X would be turning in his grave if he knew Obama was the American President. Malcolm X didn’t look at the person’s color of their skin and determine that if they’re black, he’s behind them. He attacked Martin Luther King Jr.’s stances very harshly, and MLK was of much higher caliber than Obama. Obama is a complete sellout, in the truest sense of the word. An educated sambo. Malcolm X used to debate blacks like Obama all the time on radio, and he’d tear them apart.

White people were in power to keep us in our place, once they got enough blacks to keep the majority of us in our place, then there’s no big risk to them to allow some blacks to share some of the success and wealth they’ve enjoyed from our backs. So I’m not the slightest bit proud that America has a “black” president. I’ll be proud when we have a working class president that represents working class interests, regardless of his or her color. And Malcolm X would feel the same.

You can hold whatever views and ideas you wish, you have every right, but don’t disrespect Malcolm X or warp his stances by calling on people to remember what he stood for to express your views which were very contradictory to his.

Skinny Black Girl says:

Barack Obama is the President of the United States because he was the best man for the job.

I think that we limit ourselves if we look for reason why some of “us” may be different than Barack Obama, rather than looking for the parallels and building upon them. What I feel Barack has done for Black America is that he has given us (especially our youth) a reason to believe IN THEMSELVES. Barack Obama is where he is today because he COMMITTED HIMSELF TO EXCELLENCE. He was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth, he earned his socioeconomic status and proved that a commitment to excellence, along with audacious hope and belief in oneself can lead anyone to accomplish great things. We can’t get caught up in the mental barriers of where we’re from or what odds are stacked against us. With that mindset, we’ll continue to be stuck.

We have to have the courage and the conviction to reach for the stars. So perhaps kids in the projects won’t be able to get into Harvard, but they may be inspired to work harder in their local public school and go to an HBCU or the state college, or the city college. It’s about an improved mindset and pride in ourselves that will encourage us to pursue our highest goals. Everything in the middle is just hurdles. They CAN be overcome.

Glennisha Morgan says:

Tremaine/Alisha/Cecelia/Skinny- Thanks

Muhammad- I understand how strongly you feel about Malcolm. Even though brother Malcolm may have not believed in the same things that Barack does or even though he doesn’t have the same ideals just as with the other people that I listed, that’s beyond the point. None of those people that I listed necessarily had the same ideals and schools of thought but, they still all contributed to the civil rights movement.They all were hardcore activists. So I don’t see anything wrong with mentioning them all in the same instance. Same as with mentioning Barack and Malcolm X. You and I can finish this conversation though outside of here. I miss our talks anyway.

Blackwomenblow- I agree. Obama being elected didn’t stop racism. I never said that at all. Him being elected has and will bring out the racists. It may be true that if Barack was as dark as Wesley Snipes he wouldn’t have gotten elected but, the fact that he did get elected will make it a little easier for Blacks or people of all different skin shades to get elected. Barack getting elected is a start. With everything you have to start some where.