Black People Politics : Obama Says It’s Time To Move Beyond ‘One Black’ Syndrome...

Aqil

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Feb 3, 2001
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By Hazel Trice Edney
Amsterdam News

WASHINGTON (NNPA) – U. S. Senate Candidate Barack Obama, singled out for his exceptional speech at the Democratic National Convention in Boston, says Blacks have moved past the need for a single national leader. “We’re beyond the point where we just have one messiah,” Obama says in an NNPA interview during the Congressional Black Caucus’ Annual Legislative Conference. “What we need is collective leadership helping to move the ball forward. I think everybody’s got a contribution to make.”

The 42-year-old Illinois state senator, former civil rights lawyer and Harvard law school graduate, became a household word after his rousing prime-time speech. Some pundits immediately hailed Obama as the “Tiger Woods” of politics, and predicted that he will eclipse Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton in popularity.

“There are people like myself, who hopefully can work within an institution like the United States Senate and do important work,” he says, rejecting the notion that African-Americans must choose between he, Jackson or Sharpton. “There are going to be other people like Rev. Sharpton, who will be using a different platform. And, I don’t think those things are contradictory. Rev. Jackson is a constituent and family friend, and he was an important early supporter of my campaign. I continue to draw from the wisdom and knowledge of those who paid enormous sacrifices to help people like myself have the opportunities that I do.”

Read the entire article at:

http://www.amsterdamnews.org/news/Article/Article.asp?NewsID=3448&sID=3
 
Aqil said:
By Hazel Trice Edney
Amsterdam News
“There are people like myself, who hopefully can work within an institution like the United States Senate and do important work,” he says, rejecting the notion that African-Americans must choose between he, Jackson or Sharpton. “There are going to be other people like Rev. Sharpton, who will be using a different platform. And, I don’t think those things are contradictory. Rev. Jackson is a constituent and family friend, and he was an important early supporter of my campaign. I continue to draw from the wisdom and knowledge of those who paid enormous sacrifices to help people like myself have the opportunities that I do.”

Read the entire article at:

http://www.amsterdamnews.org/news/Article/Article.asp?NewsID=3448&sID=3

This is very interesting and timely in that in another thread, we were just discussing whether African Americans need a leader. I agree with Obama in that a single "leader" isn't the solution but I also know that this isn't a new concept either. Just looking at our Civil Rights history in America clearly shows how issues faced by Black people can be articulated by more than one Black leader at the same time. The issue though is, are we interested in one voice speaking for all Black people or a number of Black voices speaking for all Black people? Is it important that we move in one direction or be pulled in many different directions? Do Obama, Sharpton, Jesse and Farrakhan all have the same interests, purpose and message? On a political level, which is most important?

Queenie :spinstar:
 
NNQueen said:
This is very interesting and timely in that in another thread, we were just discussing whether African Americans need a leader. I agree with Obama in that a single "leader" isn't the solution but I also know that this isn't a new concept either. Just looking at our Civil Rights history in America clearly shows how issues faced by Black people can be articulated by more than one Black leader at the same time. The issue though is, are we interested in one voice speaking for all Black people or a number of Black voices speaking for all Black people? Is it important that we move in one direction or be pulled in many different directions? Do Obama, Sharpton, Jesse and Farrakhan all have the same interests, purpose and message? On a political level, which is most important?

Queenie :spinstar:

Greetings, Queenie!(smile!)

I agree with Mr. Obama wholeheartedly... It is just practical for us to move in many different directions - social, economic, political, education, religion, and so on... We need leadership in all of these areas, and no one individual should be vested with the responsibility of charting our course in all of these areas... In the past, we have had leaders who deigned themselves geniuses, and took on the responsibility of doing all of these things unsuccessfully... We have to stop doing our business in this way...

Another weakness in the ONE leader/messianic concept is that once that leader is taken from us, where are we at, and what do we do??? Leaders like Dr. King never really developed leaders to take his place, so a Jesse Jackson stepped into that void without advise or consent... We didn't elect this cat nor select him... He just stepped into the void... Well, had our leaders developed some leaders, their would never have been a void, and there would've been a smooth transition from one leader to another...

Another weakness in this One messianic leader piece is that it seems always to be an African male... Why is that??? African women cannot lead us as a people, she cannot stand out in front as the most prominent of our leaders??? Well, history tells us a different story... I think we need to prepare women to lead the Black nation... It would give these rappers something to think about, no???(smile!) But, seriously, women have as much right to lead, and be strong for the African community as men, and I frankly am waiting for the day when we will become so enlightened as to entertain AFrican female leadership in a serious way...

But, like I said, I think that Obama is on the money with his observations... We do not, nor have we ever needed, a Big Chief and a whole lotta indians leading us... We need leadership in every aspect of our lives, and we should begin targeting people for these areas when they are very young...

Peace!
Isaiah
 

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