Excellent article that needs to be read. I think most in the black community understand that as President , President Obama cannot attempt to institute race specific policy. All good policy will help all Americans alike.
Where there are race/culture specific systemic disparities, it is incumbent on leaders in the community to work within the confines of law to mitigate these problems. As an example many have giving the president a hard time for the black unemployment rate (irrespective of president it is always worst in the black community). It is the responsibility of the president to ensure there are policies that prevent any group from being discriminated against. It is the responsibility of the community to define the causes and ensure policies are being followed or policies effected to mitigate.
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Obama says he’s not ‘president of black America’ — turns out he’s right
by Zerlina Maxwell | May 17, 2012 at 9:15 AM
In a recent interview with Black Enterprise, President Obama stated the obvious. When asked about the vocal criticism of his administration for the perceived lack of action on behalf of the black community and more specifically black-owned businesses the president said:
My general view has been consistent throughout, which is that I want all businesses to succeed. I want all Americans to have opportunity. I’m not the president of black America. I’m the president of the United States of America, but the programs that we have put in place have been directed at those folks who are least able to get financing through conventional means, who have been in the past locked out of opportunities that were available to everybody. So, I’ll put my track record up against anybody in terms of us putting in place broad-based programs that ultimately had a huge benefit for African American businesses.
This statement is straight forward, correct, and should not be controversial. The idea that the nation’s first black president is not the representative of all black people should not surprise anyone. The president and his administration have consistently argued that “a rising tide lifts all boats,” and passing financial reform, health care reform, and other pieces of landmark legislation would impact African-Americans more than other groups is them making good on this notion.
This view has been slammed by outspoken critics of the president, including Dr. Cornel West, Tavis Smiley, and even at times members of the Congressional Black Caucus. While the Black Caucus has chosen to constructively criticize the administration in order to push the president on specific policy initiatives from his left flank others have chosen instead to argue that the president should be more explicit in his own proposals and label them as part of a “black agenda.”
Obama says he’s not ‘president of black America’ — turns out he’s right | theGrio
