opinions/editorials
Guest Columnist
By Julianne Malveaux
Obama Slights his Loyal Following President Barack Obama has the opportunity, in this second term, to put his feet on history. He won an election that his opponent had essentially claimed, he has been firm about that which he would negotiate on, and he has offered a progressive inauguration speech that offers up a liberal agenda, embracing Social Security and Medicare, uplifting immigrants and gay rights, and embracing ways to
address inequality. One could not help but applaud the strong direction of President Obama’s speech. But those of us in the African American community wonder why we could not get a shout out about high unemployment and poverty rates, inner city challenges, and income, economic and unemployment disparities. Failing to address the community that offered him 97 percent of their vote indicates that there is a reckless disregard of his strongest supporters.
I understand that President Obama is the president of the whole United States, not the president of Black America. At the same time some of the evils that affect African Americans are issues that any president would address. To be sure, some of the gaps that are recorded and experienced have not changed since the 60s. Imagine the impact this president could have if he made a minor attempt in closing the gaps. The inauguration speech spoke to all of us when it offered
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a progressive agenda. It spoke to some when it called out other communities and offered advancement some of them, but it spoke to none of us in the African American community unless we chose to parse the subtleties, the Bible, the references to Detroit, and the acknowledgement of inequalities. Hundreds of thousands of people thronged to the site of the inauguration speech. Many of them were parents and grandparents who were determined that their children and grand-
children had the opportunity to witness history. A second term for President Obama is actually more exciting than a first term because now this president is freed from the shackles of reelection possibilities and free to do his thing. Will his thing improve the lot of all of us, some of us, or none of us. In the African American community, many think we won’t get a thing but an amazing and uplifting symbolism. There
See MALVEAUX on Page 37
By Lee A. Daniels
History in the Making: Black Americans and Obama’s Re-election What was it that made watching the ceremonies of President Obama’s second inauguration more satisfying than even the thrilling spectacle of four years ago? Certainly, part of it was its occurring the same day as the celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday and amid the month-long commemoration of the Emancipation Proclamation – underscoring the direct line of
descent from Black Americans’ longtime freedom struggle to the present. Certainly, part of it was also savoring Obama’s success in making history the second time around – knowing that he had endured the extraordinary test of staunching a wrenching economic crisis; extricating the U.S. from the Bush administration’s tragic misadventure in Iraq; maneuvering around the obstructionist tactics of the Congressional Republicans; and beating
back the fat-cat power grab the atrocious Supreme Court Citizens United decision, which approved unlimited corporate donations to political campaigns, was supposed to further. Barack Obama has been wreathed in “making history” since he gained the presidency of the Harvard Law Review 23 years ago. But voluminous evidence exists that the foundation for his current history-making lies in the astutely-waged, post1960s political gamesmanship
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of the Democratic Party’s most sustaining voting bloc: African-American voters. That point was driven home most recently by a report the Pew Research Center released in late December. Its title tells the tale: “The Growing Electoral Clout of Blacks Is Driven by Turnout, Not Demographics.” The study’s preliminary analysis of the 129 million votes cast November 6 indicates that Blacks not only voted at a substantially higher rate than Hispanic-Amer-
ican and Asian-American voters – who also voted massively for Obama – but may have voted at a higher rate than Whites as well. If so, it would be a “first” in the history of the presidential-election vote. But the mere fact that it’s a possibility underscores several powerful recent developments about the political participation of Black voters and other voters of color. For one thing, even as Blacks’
See Daniels on Page 37
By Marc Morial
Sensible Gun Reform Advances
No one hunts with an assault rifle. No one needs 10 bullets to kill a deer and too many innocent people have died already. End the madness, now!”- New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo Last week, one month after the shooting deaths of 20 first-graders and six adults in a school in Newtown, Conn., New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed into law the most comprehensive gun legislation in the
nation. Passed with overwhelming bipartisan support, the New York SAFE Act strengthens the state’s assault weapons ban, reduces gun magazine capacity from 10 to seven bullets, increases penalties for purchasing illegal guns and using guns on school grounds, mandates universal background checks, and takes guns out of the hands of mental health patients deemed likely to commit violent acts. Two days later at the White House, President Obama unveiled the most sweeping federal
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gun control proposals in a generation. In addition to calling on Congress to reinstate the assault weapons ban and close background check loopholes, the President signed 23 executive actions to immediately strengthen background checks, make schools safer, increase access to mental health services and reduce gun violence. We applaud the actions of Gov. Cuomo and President Obama to finally address the plague of senseless gun violence and we are encouraged by their commitment to increase
resources for mental health counseling and programs that help create safer communities. As a long-time advocate of sensible gun control measures, the National Urban League stands ready to work with the governor, the president and others to end the epidemic of gun violence in America. Each year on average, more than 100,000 people are shot or killed with a gun in this country. The American people have had enough. A Siena College survey shows that 73 percent of New Yorkers
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support the state’s expanded assault weapons ban and new limits on high capacity magazines. Recent national polls also show that the American people believe sensible gun control measures are more important than protecting gun rights. Clearly, it is time for state legislatures and Congress to put the safety of our children and the wishes of the people before the demands of the gun lobby which has used extremist rhetoric to promote a
See Morial on Page 37
Jan. 31, 2013 - Feb. 6, 2013
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