Tuesday, March 19, 2024

President Obama has Blacks Marching Backward.

August 15, 2013 by  
Filed under News, Opinion, Politics, Weekly Columns

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(ThyBlackMan.com) The the country and the world begin to focus on the upcoming 50th anniversary of the historic March on Washington, this is a good time to revisit the real goals of the March. Of course, it is most remembered for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s famous “I Have A Dream” speech. Official, it was the “March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.”

As a result of this march and the Selma-to-Montgomery March two years later, we now have 42 members the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) and our first Black president. The march, without question, lead to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1963, Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the Fair Housing Act of 1968.

But when you look at the congressional districts represented by these members of the CBC, you find the dreamed has turned into a nightmare.  Examples of this pathology are: Los Angeles, Cleveland, New York City, and Detroit, to name a few.  Unemployment rates in these cities are above theobama-2012 national average for Blacks (7.3), teenage pregnancy is off the charts, crime is up, high school dropout rates are climbing.

These issues have more to do with ideology more than race.  These members of Congress are looking for the government to solve these problems, as opposed to realizing that it has more to do with a lack of opportunity (job, education, etc.).

On the national level, President Obama has done even worse.  Early in his administration, he made it perfectly clear that, “I’m not the president of Black America.  I’m the president of the United States of America.”  With that statement, I knew we were in trouble.

Black unemployment was 12.7 percent in January 2009 when Obama took office.  The rate peaked at 16.7 percent in August 2011. Although it fell to 12.6 percent in July, its lowest level since 2009, it was still double the White rate of 6.6 percent.

During George W. Bush’s presidency, Black unemployment peaked at 12.1 percent in December 2008.  No longer can Obama and Democrats blame all the negative pathologies facing the Black community on George W. Bush and the Republicans.  Remember, the Democrats controlled the White House, Senate, and the House during Obama’s first two years in office.

In January of 2010, a Pew poll showed that the percentage of Blacks who thought they were better off than they were five years prior had almost doubled since 2007.  This same poll showed that Blacks also believed that the standard of living gap between Whites and Blacks was shrinking.

The only problem with this assessment was that it was not true.  Blacks are worse off under Obama than any time since WWII.  The gap between White and Black wealth and income has widened under Obama.

Under Obama, White America has 22 times more wealth than Blacks and the education gap between White and Black has grown steadily.

The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom led to specific legislation that any objective observer can point to and measure tangible, positive results for the Black community.  The march was emotional, but with tangible goals in mind.

We have the first Black president of the U.S., but yet the Black community is far worse off now than under the previous president.  Yes, it feels good to have a Black president, but it would feel even better if that president addressed the unique issues affecting the Black community.

I find it really troublesome that the first Black president is presiding over the steepest decline in key Black economic indicators since World War II.

No one can argue against the notion that Blacks have been blinded by their emotions when it comes to the diminished quality of life for Blacks under Obama.

So, in two weeks, as the old line civil rights groups gather to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom; please be mindful of what the speakers have to say.  They will blame the current plight of Blacks on George W. Bush, Whites, and Republicans.

They will not blame the president who has presided over the worse economy for Blacks in a generation simply because he makes them feel good; and with liberalism, intent is always more important than fact.  This year’s march will turn out to be more like a nightmare; and the only way to get out of a bad dream is to wake up!

Staff Writer; Raynard Jackson

Mr. Jackson is also founder of a political and industrial consultant firm which is based in Washington, DC; Raynard Jackson & Associates.

 


Comments

7 Responses to “President Obama has Blacks Marching Backward.”
  1. Moe Seager says:

    The Obama phenomenon needs to be understood dynamically, which entails two basic realities. The first: Obama’s victory was secured, led by the tenacious campaigning of black people, who triumphed in historic magnitude -electing our nation’s first black president.Second: Mr.Obama failed his electorate, fails black Americans due to his allegiance to the ruling class agenda. We succeeded in our mission. He carries through with his mission,to perpetuate the oligarchs insatiable thirst for immeasurable profits and resource ownership, dehumanizing all who would oppose their gluttony. Mr. Obama the candidate and president has persuaded liberal Americans, blacks and a majority of the nation’s poor by way of his highly talented skillfulness,portraying himself as a messenger of the Martin Luther King legacy, a progressive populist champion for the beleaguered middle class, trade unionists and the poor. The bitter truth that underpins the Obama phenomenon is evident upon inspection:The nation’s power brokers, aware of the mass alienation and a consequent rise of militancy in reaction to the Bush-Cheyney regime, cleverly forwarded the Obama make-up candidate to derail a possible mass movement for economic justice, social justice and opposition to United States war imperialism inflicted upon the Arab world. The plan worked. That liberals remain satisfied with Mr. Obama should come as no surprise, they remain less victimized than people of color and the poor. After all, it should be remembered, Liberals,by their own declaration, are the LOYAL opposition. That black people in larger numbers still remain enamored by the president is understandable, though ever so regrettable; he is a BLACK president, a phenomenon many value as a triumph without need of further qualification. The task at hand, is, upon clear sighted black thinkers to explain this hoax to black Americans, in such a manner as to deter mass resignation and cynicism among black people,to forward an authentic vision and plan of action, redeeming the mission articulated by Dr. King. As to the question of involvement of white Americans in this struggle?, we can assume the participation of some of their youth, some of their women, hoping for great numbers, setting our expectations conservatively. Our mission is, in reality, all the more difficult than in decades past due to the divisive climate spun the handlers of Mr.Obama. We will need to embody the fortitude and courage of Rosa Parks and the Freedom Riders to reignite the quest for racial equality and economic justice that this nation so desperately, so urgently requires if it to survive as a civilized nation. I would add, equally, our task is to dissuade our fellow citizens from passive acceptance and active support of the United States intentions to continue its diabolical involvement in perpetual wars.Indeed, brothers and sisters, our tasks are many, requiring of us a sustained commitment unmatched in modern history. Down but never out People of Peace and Justice, We are the precious little gems of the universe.

  2. Scotty says:

    Four out of five Adults in America are living in or near poverty and joblessness is higher than the numbers they release which don’t report those dropped from the roles but still have not found work. True there is a wealth gap between Blacks and Whites but there is a huge gap between between the middle class, the poor and the wealthiest.

    I don’t think you can blame any of this all on one party or another or explain it away in partisan terms. Any Black person aligning themselves with Democrats or the Republicans are politically naive. The only party that was about pulling our communities together and providing for the people and preaching do for self where the Black Panther Party for Self Defense and we know what the Republicans and Democrats did to them.

  3. James Davis says:

    Now We Are Talking Terrance….

    I agree with you completely. We have got to get away from the blame game. We have to take responsibility for own future and offer solutions publicly and openly. In other words, let’s start putting some skin in the game! If he rejects these solution which we endorse, then we have a reason to complain!wwww.sslumpsum.com

  4. I don’t think you can put all the blame on the President, although, I’ll be the first to say, I think he can do better for us. Having said that, I don’t think you can compare the Civil Rights era to what we’re going through now. The Civil Rights era was about access, opportunity, and equality. What we did after we received these opportunities is the problem, and the President had nothing to do with that. When given new opportunities, most groups use those new opportunities to build and strengthen their communities. The question to ask is why don’t we?

    We did the total opposite, which is why I believe we’re going backwards.
    The further we get away from each other, the worse we’ll become because it’s harder to do things by yourself. but United, we can solve our own problems. You can’t blame the President because we aren’t being hired, not getting proper education, which I believe starts with knowing our great history. Only we can create jobs that will solve unemployment in our community. Only we can teach about all the things we’ve accomplished in our history. We can’t keep relying on others to do for us, what we can do for ourselves, and this is what I blame our so called leaders for not telling us.

    Black Unity means financial independence and happiness

  5. James Davis says:

    I Do Not Blame This President For Our Unfortunate Situation – I Feel Very Personally He Is A Scapegoat For People Who Refuse To Bring Doable Solutions To The Table To Be Considered By This President In Resolving Our Economic Woes.

    I am kind of tired of hearing people complain about what this President does and does not do when it comes to domestic policies concerning black people! Why? When we used the proper approach in regard to the Trayvon Martin/George Zimmerman issue, President Obama responded. We protested, marched and signed a petition from the NAACP which resulted in a million signatures. We as a race specifically asked that he get the federal justice department involved. He promptly and directly responded to our demand in that news conference regarding race. The system of sending up a complaint to the White House appeared to work just find! Why can’t we adopt the same tactic when it comes to black unemployment? We need to get behind a solution of our own because it is pretty obvious, Mr. Obama is not being served well by his staff when it comes to our economic woes. Once we get behind a solution (www.sslumpsum.com ) and he rejects that solution for no obviously good reason, then we have a reason to complain. Mr. Jackson, you head a consulting firm, do you not have a specific and doable solution that you can present to the nation? If you don’t, why not consider mind? https://thyblackman.com/2013/08/15/40000-00-to-each-black-person-retirement-is-the-answer/

  6. We are marching backwards way before Obama. Our love of religion and self hatred will continue to keep us at the bottom for another 100 years.

  7. ROBERT says:

    I believe DR KING would be very disturbed and disappointed by not just our first black POTUS but black leadership and AMERICA in general.
    MOST people fail to realize that DR KING was assassinated by our government not for the issue of civil rights but because DR KING used his name and platform to denounce his nations foreign policies in this case it was VIETNAM. DR KING stood up for some people on the other side of the world that was being bombed by our government and it cost him his life.
    JUST prior to his death he proclaimed that AMERICA was the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today;DR KING was a non violent and principled man so you can imagine what he would say about the wars and the lawlessness being committed by our country on the people of this planet and to have the first black POTUS conducting these policies would have to be heartbreaking.
    TODAYS black leadership have no right to speak of DR KING they have disgraced his memory and have betrayed us and their nation just for monetary reasons DR.KING would never do such a thing.

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