CNN Political Ticker:
A longtime civil rights leader called Sunday for the nation's first African-American president to be more engaged with the black community and for greater government action to address the needs of the poor and unemployed -- especially those in the African American community.
Want to reply to a comment? Hint: Click "Reply" at the bottom of the comment; after being approved your comment will appear directly underneath the comment you replied to
People need to listen to Presidents Obama's speech again to the NAACP. It is obvious by the comments here many didn't listen.
Education, criminal justice, economic and healtcare disparities plague AA communities. What groups are actively advocating/lobbying for AA's?
President Obama is the best chance for making a dent in any of those disparities.
JJ is right. I don't care if it is JJ, Al Sharpton, Louis Farrakhan, or any other influential AA at the table. Something needs to be done. The dialogue needs to start NOW.
What you say is what the smiling faces fear. They don't want you or I to trust President Obama. They don't want you nor I to trust ourselves if you can get my meaning. They want us to trust their failing educational system, their failing economy, their failing standing in the world. The day has come for the slave to go free. It's not a rapture in the sky as their faulty religious system has taught us, but a rapture right here on Earth! Babylon the great has inded fallen!
They all want this President to fail.
ITA
African Americans know that the battle is far from won. We need all hands on deck NOW. It is necessary to have people who are willing to speak truth to power. It is not necessary for everyone to like the messenger.
What groups are actively advocating/lobbying for Asian Americans, American Indians, Hispanic Americans, Irish Americans, Italian Americans... the list goes on and on!
This President is the PEOPLE's President, and as a biracial, actually multiracial American that is the way I prefer it to be!
If blacks such as JJ have a problem with Obama, and whites such as Sessions have a problem with Obama, then I guess he must be doing something right.
I think the trouble is that instead of hiring a "black man" for the job of Prez, we elected a person who is truly post-racial. He is not defined strictly by his blackness. That may not be what some people in the black community want to hear, but it's the only way any person of any color would have been elected to that position.
Their is no such thing as post-racial.
not for the truly 1gnot@nt.
Jackson can stand in line. Obama refuses to engage with liberals of all colors and can't even find a seat for Stiglitz on his panel of economic advisors. Before Jackson turns Obama into a racial icon, let him represent all of the people until he can get something done. I am sick of activist groups putting their own agenda before the country's . First health care, then trade. We need jobs, and all of the people in foreclosure and bankruptcy need a bailout from the money that is always on the way to the banks.
While I understand what are saying. Yes this is a country of many different cultures. If you can realize that, you should also realize that equal rights has not been distributed evenly throughout the history of the country. If throughout history we had not had Jim Crow, Slavery, Discrimminatory Hiring, Good Ole Boy Networks, Assasinations of Civil Rights Pioneers, Racial Profiling, Gerrymandered Congressional Districts, Voting Rights Violations.....ect, ect (I could go on forever) then we would not have so many millions of Americans cryin foul.
Jesse, one word for you, Retirement. Sorry but your time has passed & we're moving on into the new
century.
The issues of unemployment and poverty are still here..
Yes, and Jesse Jackson has done NOTHING for either, so he can take a seat and shut his mouth!
The issues are unemployment and poverty are still alive and well in your so called new century
Many in the African American community respect Rev. Jackson for the many years of advocacy for civil rights. His voice is needed and welcome as one of many in the fight for justice and equality.
No, Jesse should not retire but what he need to do is join with Bill Cosby and going on a stop the killing tour that is plaguing the black community.
Why can't you just be Americans allowing an elected president to focus on doing his complicated job right? Why must you always bring skin colour into it?
Being judged by skin color was not the invention of those that have historicly been judged by skin color! Those thathave enjoyed being accepted as superior due to lighter skin color have not given up on that idea either. They feel overwhelmingly that raparations should never even be mentioned. I suspect you feel the same. Since that is the case, why should those that have historicly been judged by skin color, not ask for a President that has been and is being judged by skin color to understand their position?
Your spelling of "color" indicates that you're a foreigner, else you would have known who started it, and what a person of color has to deal with in any conversation.
Fanned!
Is the camera on?...Is the camera on?....
"Hello my name is Jesse Jackson, but I'm sure you all know that"
During the news of Michael Jackson, Farican stole the spotlight... but I'm back.
Why are are you people so obssesed with Min. Farrakahn? By the way you would be more credible if you could even spell his name.
Interesting the issues concerning the plight of the poor seems to always bring out the bigots.
Jesse is right. Nothing w'hi'te ppl will like more than selecting the leaders for the b'la'ack community. You think blacks are that d'u'mb. We want our Jesse Jackson. Personally, Jesse will do more for the b'la'ck community than Oba'ma. W'h'it'e ppl can cry and cry all you want about Jesse and Al Sharpton, we love them both, and want them in place against your r'a'ci'sm.
Next time ob'am'a speaks in front of w'h'it'e audience, he should try to admonish them against 'mol'e'stin'g their own kids, and s'e.x c'h'i'ld abuse is about 99% in w'h'i'te community.
Lol I know what you mean. I have had many battles with people right here on this site who just can't accept the fact that I'm a black man who does not look for a pat on the back from whites or any others. In their minds they still have the subconscious feeling that every black voice must be validated by them. They feel that blacks should never agree with anything that Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, or Louis Farrakahn says, no matter how true what they are saying is. I'm glad to disappoint those that feel that way.
It's nice to see that virulent r/acism is color blind.
That's the point I was trying to make exactly; anybody can do it.
Mynameisjames your post is the best I seen so far you are right Obama needs to stop catering to these GOP's who is mostly white and do not like him simply because he's biracial and continue bush policies,he haven't appointed a progressive yet and you're also right he's trying to hard to govern center left like Bill Clinton and its a totally different time from back in Clinton days,Obama is gonna be a 1 trm president in 2012 if he keeps on listening to people like Summer,Geithner and Rahm!!
Just who are you going to vote for a Republican. And you can't even be patient and give him more time. Do you think this man can do everything at once. Oh, heck with it, become a progressive Republican.
Mynameisjames your post is the best I seen so far you are right Obama needs to start catering to these GOP's who is mostly white and do not like him simply because he's biracial and continue bush policies,he haven't appointed a progressive yet and you're also right he's trying to hard to govern center left like Bill Clinton and its a totally different time from back in Clinton days,Obama is gonna be a 1 trm president in 2012 if he keeps on listening to people like Summer,Geithner and Rahm!!
Jesse actually has a point here. Except for the NAACP appearance, Obama has been MIA in the Black community. And although I understand that he is the President of the entire country, if without our support he wouldn't have made it past the primary - after to which he became a ghost. Although his support still runs high in the Black community, sadly it has nothing to do with his policies or engagement.
When Obama does decide to show, it becomes nothing more than him pointing out stereotypes and calling for personal responsibility. Although this scores big with his White constituents, it does very little for the majority of Black Americans. In fact, it does more harm than good because It just reinforces negative stereotypes. I do not deny that we have some serious problems to address, but I think that they have to be put into context to the demographic that got him elected.
The bottom line is that Obama would not have been elected if it was not for the overwhelming support from the Black community. He is himself and example of what the Black community can accomplish when we come together. I think that this same energy can be used to tackle many of ills that plague our community, which are directly associated to a lack of self esteem. I think his efforts would be more constructive if he focuses on the positive and concentrate on representing the interest of those that got him elected.
While you're right about President Obama has not focused on the black community nearly enough, I think he has a very tough agenda to accomplish. The economy is in shambles and if he cant fix it or at least bring about some improvement, then he will never be able to get around to other issues. This broken was no mistake, and it does not surprise me that the same people that voted for those that destroyed the econom are now the ones pointing fingers at the President. Anyone that has ever worked for a company that has the good ole boy network going on should understand what is happening now. I think the biggest fear that the GOP and the right wing has is not Barrack Obama, it is the one he is opening the door for!
Now is the time for African Americans to figure out FOR THEMSELVES how to create businesses, improve education, get training in green projects, develop improved uses of solar technology.
The message is clear- there are all kinds of infrastructure projects already approved that are waiting for professional contractors to take on--no matter what the ethnic background.
If we as a people don't reach out and take advantage of the opportunities now presented---the blame lies soley with us-Not our president!
Honestly, Mr. Jackson, it's best that you... don't show your face here, ok? You're not helping at all. The guy's already trying his best to address these issues. He's having a hard enough time passing Health Care Reform as it is. Please stay out of the cameras Reverend. By the way, you may also want to watch what you say before you open your mouth kind sir.
Jesse is mainly worried that he has been or will be made redundant by the Obama presidency. More than any "threat" they have faced in their decades of self-selected "leadership" of the black community, Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton are still trying to figure out where they fit in a paradigm where a black man is the President of the United States, the leader of the free world, and certainly the only person who can claim with some legitimacy to have been CHOSEN as a leader of the black community.
not redundant...irelevant.
Jesse, sit down. You're just trying to get your face on television. You can't say anything critical of the president, because we all know you hate him and want to part him from his b.alls.
Lol yeah, I remember him saying that too.
Yeah, uhh, I don't think you're in the loop after that "I want to cut his ___ off" comment good Reverend....
Loading comments…
First Posted: 07-19-09 10:18 PM | Updated: 07-19-09 10:34 PM