From a policy standpoint I could check off the drone strike program and the adverse impact its had on Africa and the Middle East. I could point to the proliferation of the U.S. African Command, or Africom, and its over 60 confirmed military installations throughout Africa. I could talk about the National Defense Authorization Act signed in 2012. Or, I can simply express how since 2008, the number of Africans incarcerated has not decreased, the number of people in poverty has intensified, and police terrorism and other forms of institutional white supremacy still dominate our daily lives. But, this post isn't even about policy. Its about Obama himself and his tired hypocrisy. You see, his election almost eight years ago has been seen as a watershed moment, not just for Africans in the U.S., but really all over the world. His trips to Kenya and Ghana have been met with am equal amount of excitement and pride. This emotional pride has prohibited the existence of any critical assessment of Obama within African circles and any attempt to infuse such analysis has been met with anger. This response by Africans is understandable because one good thing Obama's presidency has done is expose the fact that this society is racist to its very core. The masses of Europeans, programmed 24/7 to see the interests of the capitalist system as their own personal interests, have been primed with white supremacist ideology for 500+ years. Consequently, many of them have been unable to conceal their contempt for an African being elected to the White House. Their complete lack of respect for Obama and their naked hatred of African people has caused many Africans to rally around Obama, but what we should be doing is rallying around our people, not him. He has done very little to be worthy of the loyalty we have provided to him. In fact, sadly, his presidency has been simply the latest chapter of the Democratic Party's complete disrespect and contempt for the African masses who continue to support that party more consistently than any other ethnic group in this society.
Its time for African people to start talking honestly about what Obama's legacy really means for us. Going back to 2008, he has established a pattern of disrespecting our people and our experience that he has built upon over the last eight years. His initial speech on race relations either during his first campaign or at the beginning of his term, was lauded by liberals as a landmark statement on race, but in reality, it was little more than the same veiled contempt for African independence and determination. Since that time he has given several speeches on race relations and all he has done in those speeches is challenge African people to be better while saying nothing about the institutional racism that we face or making any type of similar challenge towards the masses of White people. He has told African men we need to be responsible which is an insult for those of us who have been working with African men while Obama was playing at Ivy league schools. Those of us who do this work know of the many obstacles that obstruct the capabilities of brothers in our communities. We don't need sell outs like Obama and Bill Cosby to tell us that we need to be responsible. We already know of the problems in our communities. We need people who have positions of authority and prestige to help break down the barriers that prevent African men from creating opportunities to help their communities. In other words, its much easier to go to prison than it is to go to college. Certainly, Obama knows this and for him to not talk about this and the frame these issues as simply ones of individual initiative is a crime. Then, he goes to Africa and tells our people there that they cannot talk about colonialism any longer. That the problems in Africa today are the fault of the African people. That's like placing the blame for global warming on the glaciers for melting. Africa is poor today. The Debeers, colonizing Europeans who brutally control the diamond industry in Africa today, rake billions in profits while leaving nothing behind while Obama acts like the fact Africa is poor is a mystery. The same can be said for the cocoa, rubber, coltan, bauxite, uranium, gold, and other industries. Then, on top of that, political manipulation by the zionists in israel and the U.S. have created and maintained instability in places like Somalia that have given foundation to the develop of forces like al Shabad in those places. Obama's response to all of this is to increase the U.S. military presence in East Africa, yet all he can say is that the instability there is our fault?
Then, Obama takes his arrogance to Cuba and tells the Cuban people that they need to permit protests and disagreements there while ignoring the fact that many U.S. citizens have asylum in Cuba, including Assata Shakur, because they were framed in the U.S. for their political views. Obama's show in Cuba was dishonest and criminal, since he knows the people of the U.S. have absolutely no information about Cuba's political system which is much more democratic than anything that pretends to provide freedom of choice in the U.S. capitalist electoral process. Finally, Obama tells an audience this week that the Black Lives Matter movement needs to do more than yell. Anyone who says something that ignorant either knows nothing about that movement or is purposely spreading confusion. The Black Lives Movement isn't my politics, but there's no denying the positive impact that movement has provided to the dialogue and push for better policy in this country. This has been done not just by the protests, although they have contributed much towards this end (although if you listened to Obama in Cuba you would think such protests aren't necessary in this country), but also because of the multitude of events, discussions, political education forums, etc., they have sponsored. I have conducted seminars on Pan-Africanism and scientific socialism to Black Lives Matter groups on several occasions so to characterize their work as simply "yelling" as Obama did is again either stupid or insidious.
Barack Obama is of African descent, but more important than that, he is the president of the U.S. That means his primary responsibility, and the only reason he occupies that position, is so that he can advance the interests of international capital at all costs. The advancement of capital has absolutely nothing to do with justice. So, anyone who looks at Obama, because of his biological background, and thinks they have an ally in him against white supremacy is just unfortunately out of touch with reality. I've said it many times. The U.S. will elect anyone to be president with the right political pressure, but that person will still be the commander of capitalism and it's appendages - white supremacy, patriarchy, homophobia, etc. This is the reason you have not heard Obama make one principled criticism of White people in the world. Not one peep about their arrogance and denial of clear tragedy reaped against the masses of people on the planet while they benefit from it. Nothing about the fact they continue to be duped into believing billionaires and millionaires have the interests of White working class people at heart. Nothing about the fact that White people have not effectively organized to eliminate violent white supremacist groups and/or institutional white supremacy. Therefore, there is no real material difference at the end of the day between the average White person and a neo-nazi since both of them in one way or another are advancing capitalism and white supremacy. On all of this, Obama is silent.
So, as Obama's term comes to a merciful end, its time for African people to wake up from our fantasy sleep. This man and his lovely wife and children are not there to advance our people. In fact, their presence has stunted our growth and his actions continue to disrespect and derail our people. We cannot get justice from individuals, especially if they are members and spokespersons for the international bourgeois. Our future can only be addressed through mass organization. Maybe that's one good thing about these foolish people running to replace Obama. All of them are far less impressive than even Obama has been, but at least with them, maybe the African people, and everyone else, will not be so easily lulled to sleep while being brutally and ideologically attacked at every turn by someone who is supposed to be working in our interest.
Its time for African people to start talking honestly about what Obama's legacy really means for us. Going back to 2008, he has established a pattern of disrespecting our people and our experience that he has built upon over the last eight years. His initial speech on race relations either during his first campaign or at the beginning of his term, was lauded by liberals as a landmark statement on race, but in reality, it was little more than the same veiled contempt for African independence and determination. Since that time he has given several speeches on race relations and all he has done in those speeches is challenge African people to be better while saying nothing about the institutional racism that we face or making any type of similar challenge towards the masses of White people. He has told African men we need to be responsible which is an insult for those of us who have been working with African men while Obama was playing at Ivy league schools. Those of us who do this work know of the many obstacles that obstruct the capabilities of brothers in our communities. We don't need sell outs like Obama and Bill Cosby to tell us that we need to be responsible. We already know of the problems in our communities. We need people who have positions of authority and prestige to help break down the barriers that prevent African men from creating opportunities to help their communities. In other words, its much easier to go to prison than it is to go to college. Certainly, Obama knows this and for him to not talk about this and the frame these issues as simply ones of individual initiative is a crime. Then, he goes to Africa and tells our people there that they cannot talk about colonialism any longer. That the problems in Africa today are the fault of the African people. That's like placing the blame for global warming on the glaciers for melting. Africa is poor today. The Debeers, colonizing Europeans who brutally control the diamond industry in Africa today, rake billions in profits while leaving nothing behind while Obama acts like the fact Africa is poor is a mystery. The same can be said for the cocoa, rubber, coltan, bauxite, uranium, gold, and other industries. Then, on top of that, political manipulation by the zionists in israel and the U.S. have created and maintained instability in places like Somalia that have given foundation to the develop of forces like al Shabad in those places. Obama's response to all of this is to increase the U.S. military presence in East Africa, yet all he can say is that the instability there is our fault?
Then, Obama takes his arrogance to Cuba and tells the Cuban people that they need to permit protests and disagreements there while ignoring the fact that many U.S. citizens have asylum in Cuba, including Assata Shakur, because they were framed in the U.S. for their political views. Obama's show in Cuba was dishonest and criminal, since he knows the people of the U.S. have absolutely no information about Cuba's political system which is much more democratic than anything that pretends to provide freedom of choice in the U.S. capitalist electoral process. Finally, Obama tells an audience this week that the Black Lives Matter movement needs to do more than yell. Anyone who says something that ignorant either knows nothing about that movement or is purposely spreading confusion. The Black Lives Movement isn't my politics, but there's no denying the positive impact that movement has provided to the dialogue and push for better policy in this country. This has been done not just by the protests, although they have contributed much towards this end (although if you listened to Obama in Cuba you would think such protests aren't necessary in this country), but also because of the multitude of events, discussions, political education forums, etc., they have sponsored. I have conducted seminars on Pan-Africanism and scientific socialism to Black Lives Matter groups on several occasions so to characterize their work as simply "yelling" as Obama did is again either stupid or insidious.
Barack Obama is of African descent, but more important than that, he is the president of the U.S. That means his primary responsibility, and the only reason he occupies that position, is so that he can advance the interests of international capital at all costs. The advancement of capital has absolutely nothing to do with justice. So, anyone who looks at Obama, because of his biological background, and thinks they have an ally in him against white supremacy is just unfortunately out of touch with reality. I've said it many times. The U.S. will elect anyone to be president with the right political pressure, but that person will still be the commander of capitalism and it's appendages - white supremacy, patriarchy, homophobia, etc. This is the reason you have not heard Obama make one principled criticism of White people in the world. Not one peep about their arrogance and denial of clear tragedy reaped against the masses of people on the planet while they benefit from it. Nothing about the fact they continue to be duped into believing billionaires and millionaires have the interests of White working class people at heart. Nothing about the fact that White people have not effectively organized to eliminate violent white supremacist groups and/or institutional white supremacy. Therefore, there is no real material difference at the end of the day between the average White person and a neo-nazi since both of them in one way or another are advancing capitalism and white supremacy. On all of this, Obama is silent.
So, as Obama's term comes to a merciful end, its time for African people to wake up from our fantasy sleep. This man and his lovely wife and children are not there to advance our people. In fact, their presence has stunted our growth and his actions continue to disrespect and derail our people. We cannot get justice from individuals, especially if they are members and spokespersons for the international bourgeois. Our future can only be addressed through mass organization. Maybe that's one good thing about these foolish people running to replace Obama. All of them are far less impressive than even Obama has been, but at least with them, maybe the African people, and everyone else, will not be so easily lulled to sleep while being brutally and ideologically attacked at every turn by someone who is supposed to be working in our interest.
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