In this interview, Yvette Carnell and I openly question whether the Democratic Party is going to fight as hard to support the black agenda as they fought to get black people out to vote. You see, there was an INCENTIVE for them to fight for your right to vote: It keeps them in power. They also knew, strategically speaking, that if they invoked images of Jim Crow and the Civil Rights Movement, they could get black voters out in full force. There’s nothing that motivates a black person more than the idea that white people are seeking to keep us out of the polls.
The mind manipulation worked like a charm, as black voter turnout was exceptional. But as we know about any promiscuous frat boy, he is most interested in the woman when he is seeking to get her into the bedroom. The depth of his love and the quality of his word are measured by how he reacts to the woman the day after he’s finished sleeping with her. The Democratic Party got us into the bedroom (the voting box) and we are now waiting by the phone the next day, noticing that it is no longer ringing.
So far, I have yet to see evidence that either the Democratic Party, the Obama Administration or Rev. Al Sharpton have been effective on any level when it comes to securing targeted policy advances for black people since the election. The only thing they seem to have achieved is to get black people out to vote, which is part of their mandate from the powers that serve to grant them so many resources. But what about the rest of us? Does the Obama Administration believe that the black community starts and ends with Al Sharpton? I argue that it does not.
I am not squarely against the idea of Al Sharpton, Ben Jealous and the usual suspects being part of black leadership. But I do wonder why the Obama Administration only chooses to deal with these three while neglecting to interact with those who have a more progressive set of ideas. There is a REASON that these individuals are being invited to the White House for one unproductive meeting after another: It’s all about window-dressing. My conversation with Yvette Carnell is below.
I get so tired of reading about how some folks are whining and upset with what Obama has or has not done for BLACK FOLKS. Does Tavis and West have something in writing…a PLAN or PROPOSAL for some changes? Does any of these “leaders” have a set of recommendations to send to the President and the Congress…re: BLACK FOLKS AGENDA?
Dr. Boyce Watkins is a professor at Syracuse University and author of the book, “Black American Money.” To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.
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