Melvin B. Miller
Editor & Publisher

Obama’s winning ways

The road to racial equality has been so challenging that African Americans usually delight in any promise of substantial progress. When Shirley Chisholm became the first black candidate for president in 1972, the audacity of the congresswoman’s bid to become both the first black and the first woman elected president inspired great excitement among African Americans. The boldness of Chisholm’s candidacy was heralded, even though there was no rational belief that the campaign would succeed.

The presidential campaigns of Rev. Jesse Jackson in 1984 and 1988 were considered important to establishing the significant presence of African Americans in the Democratic Party. No sound analyst concluded that it was likely that Jackson would be elected president. However, Jackson made his point in 1984 by winning primaries in Michigan, Virginia, South Carolina and Louisiana, and splitting Mississippi. All told, Jackson polled 3.5 million votes in the primaries.

The results were similar in 1988, with Jackson winning five Super Tuesday primaries to six for former Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis, the eventual nominee. Although Dukakis won the Democratic Party’s nomination, receiving votes from 2,687 delegates, Jackson came in a strong second with 1,218 votes. The point was clearly established: the black vote in the Democratic Party could no longer be taken for granted.

Now, 20 years later, there comes a black candidate who has demonstrated the capacity to win the presidency — Barack Obama, the senator from Illinois. His charisma has attracted support from people of all races. He has also shown an extraordinary capacity to raise money. One would expect that African Americans would greet Obama’s candidacy with unbridled enthusiasm. That is, in fact, precisely what has happened.

The rise of “Obamania” has been so extraordinary across the country that the media have found it necessary to pierce the bubble of enthusiasm. The press has published stories about some blacks who question whether Obama is really black. As is often the case, the media have provided scant sociological analysis on the matter and have blown the phenomenon out of proportion.

Anyone who spends time in black America will find that excitement about Obama’s explosion on the national stage is as great there as it is anywhere. There is a concern by some people, however, because of the shift in priorities for blacks. In a Dec. 28, 2006 editorial entitled “Civil Rights — Phase Two,” the Banner pointed out that the strategies of Phase One of the Civil Rights Movement will not help blacks gain wealth and political power, the two most critical challenges ahead. As a result, some of the leadership that African Americans have relied on in the past will not be as effective in the future.

In a rather clumsy statement, Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., pointed out the truth of this conflict when he said that Obama is “the first mainstream African American who is articulate and bright and clean.” Blacks who felt offended by the remark made much over the word “articulate.” But the really significant adjective is “mainstream.”

No one would describe Chisholm, Jackson or Rev. Al Sharpton, who campaigned for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination in 2004, as “mainstream.” Their style is decidedly rooted in the black culture. There is nothing wrong with that, but it will not get one elected president. Obama, on the other hand, while decidedly black, has a more universal style. His rhetoric and demeanor have touched Americans of all ethnicities. They believe that he has their interests at heart.

Of course, it is still early in the campaign, and there is a long road to travel. Obama has yet to be tested to determine whether his proposals will indeed benefit all Americans. But regardless of the outcome, African Americans are uplifted by Obama’s efforts, and they certainly embrace him as one of their own.

“Man, I always thought that if you
looked like you were black, that
was all there was to it.”