Where was the outcry from the White House last month when 7-year-old Aiyana Jones was shot and killed in Detroit, allegedly by a group of police showing off for television cameras? President Barack Obama can speak out against the diversions of iPhones and Xbox 360s, so why not at least a vague comment on the excesses of reality television? It is a given that the President cannot speak on every issue, but does this case have less merit than when Barack’s buddy Skip Gates was arrested at his home in Cambridge? Maybe Barack Obama doesn’t care about Black People unless they’re Harvard professors within his own circle.
Some may offer the argument that Obama is America’s president and not just for Black people, but is that an excuse for issues facing the lower-income Black community to be overlooked? Just because there is a Black president, does that mean that struggle is over, King’s dream is achieved and we are all now in a political paradise? President Obama shouldn’t get a pass just because he’s Black. Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele is Black, and he doesn’t even get a pass from his own party. If you’re up on your Hip Hop history, then you will remember a song by Public Enemy entitled “Night Train.” Peep game: “Cause he ridin’ the train you think he down for the cause /’Cause his face looks just like yours.”
Nothing should be taken on face value. As Chuck D rapped on “Welcome to the Terrordome:” “Every brother ain’t a brother cause of color.” It’s time for showing and proving. Being Black is not enough. In politics “being” is never enough. “Doing” is what counts. Now ask yourself, what is this administration doing? Where is the $1.25 Billion payout to the Black Farmers as settlement for years of discrimination from the USDA? Why isn’t this making news like the Tea Party? And don’t fall for the okey-doke that it’s pulling the “race-card” if you demand your fair share as a citizen of this nation. No one has ever accused homosexual activists of pulling the “gay” card.
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But the real issue is not whether or not Barack Obama cares about Black people, but whether or not Black people care about Obama, or the issues, and by extension, their own political interests. The truth is there are three basic concepts that need to be grasped. One is that politics is a process, not an event. Another is that all politics is local, and finally, the squeaky wheel gets the oil.
Dealing with the first point, politics doesn’t begin and end on Elect
