Why is it up to Black People to Save the United States?
President Barack Obama gives a speech to a crowd of military personnel and civilians at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, Nov. 12, 2009. (U.S. Army photo by David Bedard/Released)
President Obama spoke to the Congressional Black Caucus last week, making headlines when he told his audience that if African Americans did not turn out for Hillary Clinton, he would consider it a personal insult and an insult to his legacy. While President Obama is right to push people to participate, it is unsettling that he would hinge his legacy on the African American vote at such a time when people are losing hope in institutional politics, for good reasons. It begs the question: why are African Americans responsible for saving a nation that has chosen to elevate a blatantly racist and misogynist candidate?
At the CBC event, President Obama was initially cheerful, recounting his legacy and the strides the nation–and particularly African Americans–have made during his presidency. He highlighted the national recovery from the recession, new job creation, the expansion of healthcare to 20 million Americans, including 3 million African Americans. He noted that the high school graduation rate was at an all time high for all Americans. He emphasized strides made in criminal justice reform, and the decline in poverty rates which are the largest in 50 years.
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After considering the progress that has been made, Obama turned somber. He proclaimed that the United States still had work to be done, and that this election was a critical opportunity to either build or decimate the progress that has been made. President Obama challenged the idea that votes do not matter, invoking the Civil Rights Movement and Jim Crow barriers to the ballot box as a symbol of the importance of the vote and the struggles African Americans have endured to achieve political power.
Listen for these comments at 19 minutes in the video below.
Indeed, these struggles are essential and no doubt bear on the present political moment; yet, something about President Obama’s tone and the responsibility he placed on black voters for electing Hillary is disappointing. President Obama has a history of speaking down to black voters, from “pull up [your] pants” comments, to admonishing Morehouse graduates to have “no excuses,” to telling the people of Flint to not lose hope in government or the systems that failed them and their children so miserably.
Obama’s willingness to tie his legacy to candidate that many African Americans (particularly young black activists) feel ambivalent towards is additionally disappointing. It is true that Hillary Clinton is our best option this fall. But why is it our responsibility alone to ensure the best possible outcome in a system that never really had black people in mind? If black voters want to let America be America and suffer the consequences of a Donald Trump presidency that is absolutely their business.
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While I personally see the personal and political risk of not voting for Clinton this November, I know that some are looking at the options and feeling disillusioned, unable to reconcile their political beliefs with the choices on the ballot. It is also clear that electoral politics alone is not the only way to bring about change in the United States. While Obama related the progress made over the last 8 years to his presidency, it is a fact that activist and organizers on the ground contributed to and are sustaining the recent strides made against poverty, in criminal justice reform, and in education. We know that institutional politics alone will not save us.
It is expected that the president would admonish those uninterested in voting this November to participate. I will additionally concede that working under a favorable political regime will likely be preferable for those who wish to bring about change in the United States (and trust–Donald Trump will not have a political regime favorable to activists). However, at this point, it is not fair for Obama to place the weight of his legacy on black voters alone.
Historically, we have been the soul and the conscience of this nation, spearheading progress in multiple arenas–from Civil Rights, to gay rights, to women’s rights. But it is certainly up to each individual black voter to assess and consider the last eight years as well as the present political moment. We are not responsible for saving Obama’s legacy or for securing Clinton’s win this November; rather, if Obama and Clinton are interested in black votes, they are responsible for hearing black voices and establishing favorable political conditions. We don’t owe them; they owe us.
Photo Credits: Flickr
Who is going to vote if you do not? What has happened over the years is that people have chosen to not vote in protest or to submit a protest vote for someone whose policies they know little about, and then spend the following four years complaining. This is a President who spent that last 8 years helping 321 Million Americans crawl out from an economic abyss, trying to protect 321 million Americans from terrorism, trying to ensure that 321 Million Americans have health insurance, and a million other items that most Americans pay no attention to. If you do nothing to uphold his legacy and elect a President who will build on the work that he has done, YOU risk electing a man who will repeal the affordable care act, close borders, alienate populations and increase terror attacks (data shows this), repeal marriage equality, defund planned parenthood and ensure that millions of women have limited access to health care, and do a host of other things that will further hurt people of color. So YOU have to uphold his legacy and vote for Hillary Clinton. Actually, you have you uphold his legacy by learning her platform and policies, voting for her and then holding her accountable for all four years (along with local politicians) to ensure she and others follow up on their promises. This is YOUR country and if YOU do not vote, then YOU are part of the problem.
This article is misinterpreting words without dealing with the entire context, it’s misleading – where in the speech does Obama say that it is the “black voter’s responsibility alone” ?- and on top of that this article is privileged. Literally, Obama said, “this is about involving everyone into our democracy”. Allowing Donald Trump, a proven bigot and racist, who is backed by white supremacists into the white house would be a complete blow to African American progress. We all saw and heard the actions and voices of these racists and bigots at Trump’s rallies. This is no joke, it’s no time for privileged ideas, cherry picking, and misleading. This idea that this person owes that person something is bullshit. If you want something done, then you go out there and you express your powers. Voting is a power, and if you don’t exercise your powers then you’ll be owed NOTHING. You owe YOURSELF something. That’s the whole point of voting, you vote for the candidate that will represent your interests the most out of all the candidates.
Let me get this straight…the President says you have the power to influence an outcome and your response it that you’re dismayed that you have this power and that he has the nerve to ask you to use it? Instead you say that others should exercise their power because “why are African Americans responsible for saving a nation” (though you gloss over the fact that if others were roused to action there is a fair chance it would be bad for black people so, yeah, black people are probably the best people to influence their destiny for the better, both through politics and a multitude of other avenues). Are you just looking for things to be mad about? It seems to be that there is plenty out there without having to stretch this far.
Getting a little nervous are you? I’m a Progressive and I’m voting for Hillary. I would vote for her if she had stage 4 lung cancer! Obama is half white and was raised by white middle class people. He’s YOUR legacy. It’s all about YOU.
“Are you looking for something to be mad about?”
Gee Aom, are you trying to get Trump elected?
The author makes no controversial statements. President Obama is in some ways an opportunist. He’s been a mediocre President. He gave us semi privatized health care. But yes, Obama has one hell of a nerve.
I’m very glad to see the Black Lives Matter movement. The white supremacy groups are exploding and unarmed Black Americans are being slaughtered by the militarized police state. These horrible cop lovers make me sick. If Trump gets in, any hint of a civilized society may be gone I fear.