The Question Of Barack Obama's Safety And Black Folks Feelings Of Security
I'm really wondering about people who seem to be so sure that America is ready for change and particularly with that change being possibly the first African American President, then why are so many African Americans so uneasy about Barack Obama's safety? I am not questioning whether black people should feel the way they do because there is a long American history of violence against African Americans for black people to grapple with. Yet, is the uneasiness that black people feel about Obama's safety have anything to do with how unsafe African Americans feel in their own lives?
10 comments:
huuumm that ccould be part of the reason....i don't think it's one reason...
i think part of it is because they see life as this = "everytime black people get ahead something tradgic happens and 'poof' they fall off the horse. we can't never have nothing"--Thinking...
could be they are projecting their personal safety fears on him....or it could just be negative energy and self-hate that so many people have "learned to be" , that makes them scared for him--as they are scared for themselves to reach beyond their environments-from what is common and comfortable for them....you know scared to see that the world is round and not flat.
no faith....not real faith...
on another note--I'm loving that hat he is wearing! he looks very good in it...i love hats!
There really seems to be too much talk about this subject. I know our history and our current state of affairs on racism, but this is getting out of hand. You can really get a sense of how fear factors so much into their lives.
I went out with my friends Friday night and one of them heard from a coworker who has a friend who's a political insider that Obama will be assassinated if he won the Democratic nomination or won the presidency.
Today my coworker sent me an article from the NY Post about Blk folks fearing for Obama's safety.
You've got 50 Cent saying that "they'll kill him."
You know, if he is killed, so what? Isn't there something worth dying for? Thank God that members of the Civil Rights and Black Power Movements didn't cower to the establishment.
Are we supposed to stay in our place and not allow our full potentials to flourish? Are we gonna allow the White Boogie Man to kill our dreams?
Are we supposed to stay in our place and not allow our full potentials to flourish? Are we gonna allow the White Boogie Man to kill our dreams?
I think Obama's supporters and their worries goes against what the pundits have been telling us all along: that an Obama nomination would signal a change in America. If this change was so inevitable, you wouldn't have people worrying about his safety.
My 82 year old grandmother and I had a conversation about this last night. The fear is real. She said that she belived that 1st, Barack wouldn't win, and (2) if he did win, "they" will kill him bf they let a black man run the country. I hear this particularly because they know the history of this counry. My grandma grew up in the JIm Crow south. She knows the ugliness of white racisim. I think that alot of young people are disconnected from our history, not intellectually, but they don't feel it in their spirits. A lot of us believe that we live in a country that is better today than during slavery and Jom Crow. The old people know better.
I think the fear is legitimate. It shouldn't stop us from reaching for our dreams, but we should also never stop from being vigilant.
Obama himself asked for security detail long before the other candidates did.
Whenever I think I'm being paranoid, I look at the Without Sanctuary website and realize that a lot of these young boys peering into the camera are still alive, and have raised sons just like them.
@Shecodes
He didn't ask. They gave it to him because the death threats had gotten out of control. It wasn't really an option at the time.
I think it has a lot to do with the treatment of black leaders in this country. We are talking about from as high up as Martin Luther King Jr. to leaders of street gangs and lower echelon factions.
i second shecodes' response, loudly! and i would also have to agree with michelle obama---being black is inherently risky.
be afraid and do it anyways, i say. death is the one certainty. the fear of it shouldn't stop you from doing what you like. or reaching for what you want.
michelle and the wee-michelles in the white house!!! ok, obama, too. i just think the whole system is a corrupt farce. those that go into it hoping to change it; come out changed-for the worse---as in corrupt. the images of black women in the white house as first lady and daughters make the whole thing worthwhile to me.
shecodes makes me want to change my mind. i am not reformed just yet.
blessings!
focusedpurpose
He didn't ask. They gave it to him because the death threats had gotten out of control. It wasn't really an option at the time.
Incorrect, jj. Obama asked for security early last year, even before he announced his candidacy.
It was RAISED by the secret service on 1/07, because of the death threats. Right now his security rivals Pres. Bush's... and with good reason.
reminds me of the song..
"keep your head low low low low..
or that nice head will have to.."
(God forbid)
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