The speech soon-to-be heard and discussed around the world had nothing to do with politics.
"...too many fathers are mia (military acronym for missing in action)...they've abandoned their responsibilities...acting like boys rather than men...any fool can have a child..."
These are just bits of the speech given by presumptive presidential candidate, Barack Obama (D) on Sunday at Apostolic Church of God on 63rd and Dorchester, in Chicago.
Concerned, educated blacks have been pointing this fact about black families out for years.
This morning on CNN, Roland Martin said,
"Folks are concurring what he said. I know Roland comments on the state of the black family during his radio show on WVON in Chicago, frequently.
Roland also pointed out that single family households are not wholly a black issue.
Roldand said, it is a problem in America where 50 percent of white households are fatherless as well.
Obama actually lived this life of absentee father. His dad left at two--but he was lucky to have his mother and grandparents lend a hand in his rearing.
Matter of fact, the destruction of American families has been an important topic most of my lifetime. Did it start with the sexual revolution of the sixties? I dunno.
Or during slavery when families were routinely torn apart and sold to different slave masters? I dunno.
What I do know is that Barack should be speaking on this issue and Roland Martin agreed.
Mentioned also were comments made by Bill Cosby in 2005. However, Mr. Cosby's comments differed in tone and content.
"...Essentially, Cosby validated the perception that African-Americans who are economically disadvantaged have bad work ethics, low morals, misplaced priorities and distasteful lifestyle choices.
And they have no one to blame for their predicament but themselves," according to an article I wrote in 2005, for the Boca Raton News.
Cosby's comments are wayyyyy different in tone, content and intent.
Cosby was speaking not before a church on Father's Day but addressing his peers at some gala. It was a have vs. have not type deal.
Obama related a personal story of his childhood. He has first hand knowledge of how it feels to grow up with dad not around. And now he is on the verge of being president, so the microphone is in his hand.
He has come a long way and seems like a great dad himself to his two beautiful daughters.
Roland said critics of Obama should shut up criticizing and stop "running their mouths."
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2 comments:
dear editor: I heard the interview on NPR today with your staff member who said that Obama's speech was wrong on timing. That is not the issue. The issue is the difficulty in confronting racial problems, and the OBAMA campaign has brought the black community's issues to the forefront. It's not that the fatherless household has been discussed before, its that it is now being discussed through a national forum -- the obama campaign and it is difficult to get to discuss any issue because the black community is in a new position of national importance. John Jackson addressed this issue in his book, Racial Paranoia: The Unintended Consequences of Political Correctness (Basic Civitas Books, March 24, 2008). He talked about the relationship between race, racism, and racial paranoia and why it is difficult to talk about race. Professor Jackson's issue how do we all together confront the current state of race matters in the United States, and how can current events illustrate this racial paranoia so we can deal with the basic problem. He advocated building social connections and holding those difficult conversations to transcend racial paranoia and get to the bottom of the problem. You can't resolve the issue if you can't talk, and you can't talk if you're afraid to say what you think. That is very difficult situaion and makes people uncomfortable, but it's the best way to get racial issues resolved. I was convinced because the old maxim, "the truth hurts" is true, but these issues need to be confronted if we're to make any progress. Chris in Boulder, CO
dear editor: I heard the interview on NPR today with your staff member who said that Obama's speech was wrong on timing. That is not the issue. The issue is the difficulty in confronting racial problems, and the OBAMA campaign has brought the black community's issues to the forefront. It's not that the fatherless household has been discussed before, its that it is now being discussed through a national forum -- the obama campaign and it is difficult to get to discuss any issue because the black community is in a new position of national importance. John Jackson addressed this issue in his book, Racial Paranoia: The Unintended Consequences of Political Correctness (Basic Civitas Books, March 24, 2008). He talked about the relationship between race, racism, and racial paranoia and why it is difficult to talk about race. Professor Jackson
s issue is the current state of race matters in the United States and how current events illustrate this racial paranoia. He advocated building social connections and holding the difficult conversations to transcend racial paranoia. That is very difficult and makes people uncomfortable, but it's the best way to get racial issues resolved. I was convinced because the old maxim, "the truth hurts" is true, but these issues need to be confronted if we're to make any progress.
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