FSB Author Article
The Obama Effect
By Roland Laird,
Author of Still I Rise: A Graphic History of African Americans
During a recent segment on an ESPN sports show, Andre Iguodala
of the Philadelphia 76ers was being interviewed by one of the
show's reporters. As the hour wound down, the in-studio host asked
Mr. Iguodala, "Why did you do the interview outside? It's so cold, and
you're not even wearing a hat." Iguodala replied, "Hey that's how
President Obama did it -- in the cold with no hat. I have to step it
up."
Iguodala then went on to mention how excited he was about President
Obama, and that in his hometown (ironically, Springfield, Illinois),
the test scores for Black males have gone up since President Obama was
appointed to office.
The ad hoc interview responses of a Black athlete are far from
a testament of Barack Obama's impact on the Black Community. They
do, however, point to a state of mind -- at least in some
sections. For instance, I've gotten a significant number of emails from
people recapping their Inauguration Day experiences. All were upbeat
and ranged from how proud they were to be Americans, to this occasion
being the first time they'd ever seen their father cry. In the same
vain, barbershops are reporting a resurgence of the "caesar" cut that
Obama wears, although now it's being called an 'Obama'. There is
even a humorous comic strip making the rounds that speculates
5 years from now, the first day of school in the Black Community will
have scores of children with names like 'Obamalita Jackson' and 'Obama
Taylor', to name a few.
I'm clearly stating the obvious by saying the emergence on President
Obama has had a positive impact on the mood in the Black Community. A
cynic could legitimately say that good feelings can only get you so
far, but I think the cynic would be missing the point.
One of the major issues in the Black Community is the negative and
stereotypical reporting of the news. I'm not a big news watcher, but
whenever I sample it there is a preponderance of my people being
reported as criminals or crime victims. Every now and then there are
"feel good"stories, but those stories are far outweighed by the ruinous
and painful stories I mentioned. Without fear of contradiction, I can
say that Barack Obama's Presidency has changed the texture of the
nightly news for the next four (hopefully eight) years. Night after
night, the news will report on a Black man who also happens to be the
most influential and powerful person in the world. In tracking the
impact this will have, the closest thing I can think of is the impact
Muhammad Ali had on young Black boys like myself in the 1970's. Ali
stood tall, and spoke without any equivocation. He was Black, he was
proud; but more importantly he was a man of his time.
Now Barack Obama is not the outspoken, pull no punches man that Ali
was, but he doesn't need to be; he is THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED
STATES OF AMERICA. When he speaks, no matter the amplitude or
intensity, people have no choice but to listen. Just as Ali impacted
people like me to be proud of who I am and to pull no punches,
President Obama casts an image of dignity and grace under pressure. He
too is a man of his time, for in these boisterous days, seeing a Black
man exude a quiet strength, day after day, and night after night will
over time bring civility and decorum into sharper focus in our
communities. Seeing a Black man express his anger with dignity and
without "cursing people out" in the most pressurized of situations is a
positive that I look forward to seeing.
Again, the cynics will see little to no value in any of this. But the
parent raising a child in the inner-city or the burbs knows this value
implicitly. The school official that sees young Black children being
heckled at assemblies after being given awards for excellent academic
achievement knows the intrinsic value of President and First Lady
Obama.
Now this is not to say that the cynics don't have a point to make.
There is a good deal of blind hero-worship of President Obama; and the
fact that he is the President of all America by definition means that
some of his decisions may not be pleasing to us. When the going gets
particularly tough and he needs to raise approval points, he may even
decide to take the "Bill Cosby" stance of blaming low-income Black
people for some of the problems that confront them. When Obama is wrong
or we disagree with him, we have to voice it. There's no denying that
fact.
Being President of the United States is the toughest job in the world.
But like most jobs, the proof is in the pudding. If President Barack
Obama is able to turn the American Economy around and loosen the grip
of partisan politics, he will be viewed as an excellent president. A
Black man demonstrating excellence on a daily basis, in the highest
office in the land, will bolster our ambitions; and equally important,
it will soften the stereotypes of black people that still infect much
of American society. If a cynic can't see that bolstered ambitions and
the erosion of stereotypes are a major impact on the Black Community,
then I only have one question: What impact would a McCain Presidency
have had on our community?
Copyright ©2009 Roland Laird co-author of Still I Rise: A Graphic History of African Americans
Author Bio
Noted African-American entrepreneur Roland Laird, co-author of Still I Rise: A Graphic History of African Americans, is co-founder of Posro Media, a Trenton, New Jersey-based company that produced the comic book series MC Squared: A Man With a Serious Game Plan and the syndicated comic strip The Griots. The company has worked and continues to develop a number of animated and documentary projects for film and television.