Obama Was Not the President of Black America
Change We Did Not Believe In
Listen, I like Barry. I absolutely adore him actually. It was an honor to serve under him as my commander-in-chief. It was a great privilege to cast my first vote in 2008 with him being the candidate I voted for. I enjoyed the Obama years thoroughly and am proud that he left The White House without a single scandal. But for most black people, Obama was a magician who worked very little magic for our community.
He was seen as the second coming of Christ but failed to be our savior. Most blacks saw the election of Barack Obama as a promise for the proliferation of wealth in our community. While I agree that having the first African American president was important and monumental, I disagree that he was supposed to be the president of black America.
Many blacks from the southside of Chicago stood in their bullet-riddled neighborhoods waiting for Obama to return to save the day. The former community organizer left the windy city for an old mansion in Washington DC and never returned. These blacks never saw the violence that continues to plague their communities as an issue they must address.
There are enough local black politicians, law enforcement officers, community activists, and ministers for these citizens to revamp their war zones. There are enough successful rap artists that safely made it our the city to donate resources to grant more opportunities for these war zones. Why was Obama responsible for stopping the GDs and the BDs from killing each other?
Why was Obama responsible for creating jobs in predominantly black cities where there are more than enough blacks who are more than capable of amassing their own money to open black-owned businesses? Why was Obama responsible for every black student who chose to drop out of school?
Why was Obama responsible for every black man who chose to commit crimes that lead them to jail? Why was Obama responsible for every black woman who chose to lay with men who ultimately left her to be a struggling single mother?
Obama set the standard for black America, but instead of using his story and his election as motivation, blacks expected this man to do something for them. Blacks expected this man to issue some form of reparations and when he did not do so, blacks began to vilify him. For decades our community hoped for a savior instead of focusing our attention on what we already have inside of us. For decades our community failed to attend college and obtain a degree that could help us all advance as a race.
Our community does not work together to participate in crowdfunding. Crowdfunding could be happening in every major city in America and so many new companies could be started. These companies could be started and jobs could be created. Our rich and famous rappers could also add to these efforts and our community could have great economic power.
The thing about Barack is that he got up off his ass and worked. From the time he was a Harvard law student to the moment he was elected president, Barack Obama worked his ass off and he has EARNED every bit of his success. He is not responsible for making other black men work. He is not responsible for making black women work. He is not responsible for making black kids study. He is the example we all should try to follow. All Obama had to do for me was run. When I saw him run for office in 2008, I knew I could be anything I aspire to be. When he was elected president, I knew I could achieve anything I want to achieve.
Many blacks love to say that Obama did more for the LGBTQ community than he did for us. Here is my take on that: I call bullshit! For starters, there are black people who identify with the LGBTQ community, so when I hear blacks say this, I am often perplexed. Secondly, the LGBTQ community has recently been granted the right to marry, adopt, and serve openly in the military. Blacks have had their rights for decades now. Third of all, blacks continue to remain stagnant even decades after The Civil Rights Movement and Jim Crow era. Our remaining stagnant as a race is nobody’s fault but our own.
Barack Obama was the 44th president of The United States. Barack Obama was NOT the president of black America. He was not our messiah. He was not our genie. He was the standard bearer and we failed to see it. We became angry with a man who we saw as our absentee father and we grew to despise him as his illegitimate children.
Thank you for reading!
