Five members of the Uhuru Movement disrupted a town hall meeting by Barack Obama in Petersburg, Florida on Friday. They held up a banner which read: “What about the Black community, Obama?”. As they chanted “What about the Black community?!”, Obama supporters chanted in response “Yes we can!” to drown them out. After some time order was restored and Obama carried on with his speech. During the question and answer period, one of the protesters was allowed to ask the Democratic presidential candidate about his lack of addressing issues important to the survival of the African-American community.
I had never heard of the Uhuru Movement before and as I watched the news footage, I noticed on their banner a web address (click here). I visited it and watched some of their videos on Barack Obama. I must admit I didn’t like that they uploaded a video of the protest on Friday and the question that was posed to Obama by one of their members, but not his answer. Nevertheless, I found the other videos thought-provoking in their analysis of the Barack Obama candidacy.
One of the main comment Obama, McCain and their respective supporters make to those who question or oppose their candidacy, is to state that you can vote or support someone else… meaning “the other” establishment candidate. They imply that you have only one of two choices: the devil you know or the devil you don’t know! However there are other choices. Two of the more well known ones, who have gotten little or no media coverage, are former Democratic Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, an African-American woman, who is the Green Party presidential candidate and independent Ralph Nader. I am sure there are other presidential candidates, who are running, either as independents or for a “fringe” political party, who also get no media time. Nevertheless, whether candidates are well known or not, or get a lot or no media attention, it is each voters responsibility to research and expand their field of options so they can make the best, informed choice of whom to support for President.
These young black men should have read a newspaper, if they did, they would have known that Obama was more involved than most in the U.S Senate when it came to looking out for Hurricane Katrina Victims:
Obama was one of the first government officials to visit New Orleans, and has visited the are 5 times.
After Katrina happened Obama successfully pushed legislation in the U.S. Senate to plan for evacuation of people with special needs, he’s helped to create a centralized federal database to account for individuals displaced in an emergency, and he has successfully fought against wasteful no-bid contracts. Additionally, along with other members of the Congressional Black Caucus, Senator Obama has worked to address the immediate income, employment, business and housing needs of Gulf Coast communities affected by the storm.
HERE IS THE LEGISLATION OBAMA PASSED IN THE U.S. SENATE CONCERNING KATRINA:
Obama Passed A Law Initiating A Long Overdue Investigation Into FEMA Failures And Response To Trailers Contaminated By Formaldehyde. “U.S. Senators Mary Landrieu (D-LA), Claire McCaskill (D-MO) and Barack Obama (D-IL) lauded Congress’ passage of their proposal to launch an investigation into reports that housing trailers contaminated with formaldehyde were provided to Hurricane Katrina victims. This provision, which is contained in the Omnibus Appropriations package soon to be signed into law, will initiate a long overdue investigation into why the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) failed to prevent the contamination or investigate the allegations.” [Obama Press Release, 12/21/07; H.R. 2764, Became Public Law No: 110-161]
Obama Passed Legislation Prohibiting DHS From Entering Into Open-Ended, No-Bid Contracts For Emergency Response Activities. “Legislation authored by U.S. Senators Barack Obama (D-IL) and Tom Coburn, M.D. (R-OK) that will stop the abuse of no-bid contracting in the aftermath of a disaster was included in the final Department of Homeland Security funding bill.
Obama Passed An Amendment Into Law Creating A National Family Locator System. In 2006, Obama passed an amendment to the Fiscal Year 2007 Homeland Security Appropriations Act that required the Department of Homeland Security to create a centralized family locator system through which family members can contact their lost loved ones during disasters. The amendment, which was signed into law as part of the final version of the bill, was based on legislation Obama introduced immediately after Hurricane Katrina. [SA 4573 as modified agreed to in Senate by Unanimous Consent, 7/13/06; H.R. 5441, Became Public Law No: 109-295; S. 1630, 109th Congress, Referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs]
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WHEN OBAMA VISITED NEW ORLEANS ON FEBRUARY 7, 2008, Obama laid Out Program To Rebuild New Orleans and the Gulf Coast Region
Obama’s comprehensive program to rebuild New Orleans and the Gulf Coast includes:
* Ensuring that New Orleans has a levee and pumping system to protect the city from a 100-year storm by 2011.
* Creating a special “COPS for Katrina” program to empower communities to hire local enforcement personnel, as well as helping local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies establish an integrated regional crime control partnership.
* Developing the health care infrastructure by building new facilities and providing incentives like loan forgiveness to attract more medical professionals back to New Orleans.
* Rebuilding schools and assisting communities in the Gulf Coast to make necessary infrastructure investments so kids from all backgrounds have safe and supportive environments to learn. Creating a loan forgiveness program to bring college students back to New Orleans.
* Ensuring the FEMA Director reports directly to President Obama, serves a fixed six-year term so he or she is insulated from political pressure, and has professional emergency management experience.
* Ensuring that every displaced resident has a home to return to, by strengthening the Road Home Program, working with the state to guarantee that every application for housing assistance will be approved no later than two months after it is received, and increasing the supply of rental property.
* Developing transit partnerships to ensure public transit is integrated across New Orleans’ parish lines and a possible rail line connecting New Orleans with Baton Rouge.
* Rebuilding the local economy, both by fighting to ensure more local residents direct and implement Katrina-related recovery and reconstruction activities, as well as targeting tax incentives to lure businesses to the hardest hit areas of the Gulf Coast.
* Working with emergency management officials, emergency responders and other experts from all 50 states to create a real National Response Plan, which will ensure we have fully-trained and prepared personnel to respond to disasters across the United States.
* Creating a National Catastrophe Insurance Reserve, which will save homeowners $11.6 billion on annual insurance premiums.
(The inormation above came directly from Obama’s website, and the FULLER PLAN can be found at http//www.barackobama.com/2008/02/07/barack_obama_to_lay_out_progra.php)
***YOU CAN READ THE SPEECH OBAMA GAVE IN NEW ORLEANS ON THE DAY HE LAID OUT HIS PLAN IS ALSO ON HIS WEBSITE AT THE LINK PROVIDED ABOVE:
Uhuru has a long history (10 plus years), especially in the south and I remember working with them specifically around police issues.
Good peeps
Thank you for mentioning Cynthia McKinney in your post! The more I read about her, the more I like her.
Obama’s response to the question was the last part of Democracy Now’s headlines this morning:
http://www.democracynow.org/2008/8/4/headlines
Black Activists to Obama: “What About the Black Community?”
And finally, Senator Barack Obama was confronted Friday by a group of black activists during a town hall meeting in St. Petersburg, Florida. Three men from the International People’s Democratic Uhuru Movement raised a banner reading “What about the black community, Obama?” After the activists tried to disrupt the town hall meeting, Obama took a question from one of the men, Diop Olugbala.
Diop Olugbala: “In the face of the numerous attacks that are made against the African community or the black community by the same US government that you aspire to lead—and we’re talking about attacks like the subprime mortgage that you spoke of that wasn’t just a general ambiguous kind of phenomenon, but a phenomenon that targeted the African community and Latino community; attacks like the killing of Sean Bell by the New York Police Department and Javon Dawson right here in St. Petersburg by the St. Pete police; and the Jena Six and Hurricane Katrina, and the list goes on—in the face of all these attacks that are clearly being made on the African community, why is it that you have not had the ability to not one time speak to the interests and even speak on behalf of the oppressed and exploited African community or black community in this country?”
Barack Obama responded by saying he has spoken out about every issue raised.
Barack Obama: “I’ve been talking about predatory lending for the last two years in the United States Senate and worked to pass legislation to prevent it when I was in the state legislature. And I have repeatedly said that many of the predatory loans that were made in the mortgage system did target African American and Latino communities. I’ve said that repeatedly. Number two, Jena Six—I was the first candidate to get out there and say this is wrong, that there’s an injustice that’s been done and we need to change it. That’s number two. When Sean Bell got shot, I put out a statement immediately saying this is a problem.”
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It seems Obama *says* a lot of things, makes a lot of statements. Really it doesn’t mean anything if there is no action. It is good that laws were passed about the formaldehyde in trailers and locating families. Has there been any follow up to this? Passing a law to investigate something is one thing, actually investigating and helping families is another.
Thanks for posting Obama’s plan for Katrina. My question would be, has any of it been implemented?
It is important that Obama is asked about the black community, and it is just as important that McCain is asked the same question. I’d like to know if Uhuru was at his speech holding a sign.
The very unfortunate thing about the U.S. political system is that it is, for all intents and purposes, a two-party system. So much so that a vote for a candidate running under a party that is neither Republican nor Democrat ends up being mostly a self-indulgent ‘protest’ vote. This is a difficult reality to reconcile with, especially for those of us who would prefer an alternative political system, but would we rather see John McCain in office or feel righteous about voting for a candidate that we knew would not win?
Obama does talk a lot about these things. Yet, he does not say what if anything he would propose to end the problems. Predatory lending is something he feels totally comfortable giving an answer to because it affects more than the black community.
He just recently addressed how he plans to ensure women are earning the same amount as men. When the LARGER problem is that blacks earn only 76% what white people make. He never said anything about that. How would he address that?
I do agree that the Uhuru folks should be just as vocal with McCain and all the other candidates including McKinney and Nader. The problem is that once any of these candidates gets into office they still have to work with the racist framework that is already in place. Until we actually overhaul the entire system nothing will change.
Thanks
The nation is divided right down the middle. Most big Elections are won by less than 2%. If you don’t like the Republicans -Vote Obama! The two party system almost never leaves room in the middle inbetween two parties. If we had a per portonal system like in England minority parties would get a share of the goverment. However we have a winner take all system. The only way to increace democracy in such a system is to vote all the time in every election and on school boards. Voting for a small third party is to vote for the winner. It is not much of a protest because one of the two establishment parties wants you to vote that way. Mccain would even fincance the Green party if they could help him win.
Ross Perot gave us Bill Clinton and Ralph Nader gave us George Bush. The Republicand might be secretly funding the green party so be forwarned. Additionally,The Democrats might be secretly funding the Libretarian party.
I don’t blame Obama for being a tool: I blame us for being so mentally handicapped that we can’t see that he is a tool.
Unless the system is changed to a proportional representative type whereby the widest segment of possibilities is offered, we will continue to have what we have now: a complete and utter charade. Evidently, it takes more sophistication than we as a people currently possess to SEE that Obama is talking out of both sides of his neck and neither Democrat or Republican offers anything to “We, the people.”
The folks who “believe” in Obama, who believe in voting, are not rational. Voting does not produce what THEY say it produces. It doesn’t produce candidates who look out for you. It doesn’t produce justice or change.
So why do we do it? The same reason why some of us look for our pie in the sky: because someone taught us to.
There are plenty of political parties out there that nobody has heard of because the two big boys conspire to make theirs, the only game in town. And we are too dumb to see it.
Cynthia is cool, but WE have to destroy – DESTROY – our present system and CREATE an entirely new system in order to make her candidacy have any import or relevance. To us.
Do you know your history?
Hello there!
This is a great conversation!
I wrote a post about this on Sunday after the Obama speech at the Urban League Conference.
There is a white blogger, Rootsie, who wrote a post about the “mask” that Obama has to wear in order to get elected by whites…her words are SO TRUE!
I am not sure why white supporters of Obama want to bring up the visits to Katrina by Obama…because that was one catastrophe…THAT does not mean he has an agenda for black America simply because he jumped on the Katrina sympathy bandwagon when it was politically beneficial to do so.
White supporters of Obama love his responsibility platform when it’s directed at blacks…oh…but watch them turn on him if he starts talking about accountability for dismantling white supremacist patriarchy….
You won’t hear any cheers and screams for him in that corner then….GUARANTEED.
Peace, blessings and DUNAMIS!
Lisa
Blow, Lisa, blow!
Free Slave, Im with U! We do lack the sophistication to properly assess our own situation and we drownin in the mainstream.Its like cats tryin to play fetch and tryin to bark…
The current system must be allowed to die and if we are voting, we are validating it! The war, the intentional devaluing of the U$D, the jobs and the criminalization of our young boys, we are saying this aint a problem by voting for a Republicrat!
Thanks for mentioning McKinney. Along with Hip Hop Activist, Rosa Clemente, I think they make a great ticket on the Green Party. While some of Obama’s positions concern me – especially his foreign policy agenda items – McKinney’s track record on justice and peace issues align quite well with my values. I wrote about my take on the Green Party on my blog.
http://faithinactiononline.com/2008/07/16/dont-sleep-on-the-greens/
Again, thanks for this post.