Obama for the Masses
Part II

In this new millennium madness, we as Black Americans, African-Americans, (however we individually chose to describe ourselves) have, for better or worse, achieved a semblance of integration. We have traded in our Black Nationalist belief for a good job, a 401k plan, and positive paper clippings on our so-called community involvement.

About a year ago, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, (NAACP) an organization formed around 1909, arbitrarily decided to have a funeral for the word nigger/nigga/niggah. Apparently, it is their intent to continue the work of balancing the races by ridding the english language of the word nigga/nigger/niggah. However, it seems that the association for colored people, thought the actions and actualities of niggas/niggers/niggahs would cease if we stopped using the word.

There inlaid the problem. Just because “prominent, affluent, and economically stable” associations of colored people ceased using the word does not mean that the people do not exist, and their actions do not exist—they do. For example, in the community where I live, it is probably 90% Black people, racially, and poor to middle class economically. During the summer, there were at least 4 shootings; one cop shooting that involved a nigga on his 4th strike, and a police intrusion into the store with guns drawn and children standing in line. At this corner store, where I work on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights, there are a accumulation of patrons that come in buying alcoholic drinks, cigars for blunts, and food; sober, high, and drunk. As a co-worker put it so eloquently: “I call ‘em like I see ‘em. Not every female is a lady, not every male is a brotha’, and the only thing higher than the store prices—is the customers.” Now don’t get me wrong, I love my community, it is filled with Africans, African-Americans, Blacks, Native Americans, Hispanics, Whites, Trailer Trash, and Niggas. However, what concerns me most, are my niggas.

Black Nationalism has not fully recovered from Brother Malcolm’s assassination in ’65, and King never was able to address his poor peoples campaign before ’68; these are two important actions that hurt poor Black people, politically and vocally. After 1968, The Black Panther Party for Self Defense came into play. We forget that The Black Panther Party was established as a political party with its’ platform being Black Nationalism and self-defense. (I believe) The Black Panther Party was excellent with its rhetoric and community organizing, yet it did much like the other civil rights organizations after COINTELPRO—the remaining leaders achieved status, fame, and positions, while the people were left behind. It was the people who were left with empty liquor bottles, crack vials, pipes, second-class education, no economy, and athletic dreams, along a road of despair. 40 years down that road, we have broken businesses, a family structure that is comprised of baby mamas/daddies, and an integrated life structure that seeks to deny niggas yet again the “american dream” of true hope.

So here we stand, 8 years into the “new millennium” with the same problem from the two previous millennia—what to do with the tired, the poor, and the hungry. On the hill of hope arises a young, bright-eyed, articulate, and moving speaker who appears to be Black. Appearances aside we learn Barak Obama is of mixed descent; one half uplifted and brought to the forefront, as the other half lies in shadows of shame—he is a Christian with an Islamic name, but a Christian, always has been.

This man is not a Morehouse man, or a HBCU man, or a child of the movement; this is an Ivy League educated man, fully integrated with the belief in the amerikkkan system of yes we can.

Please allow me to pause for a quick story. A few weeks back, while working at the corner store, two young people were in line; one male, one female. The young male was attempting to get the female’s phone number, discretely. While flipping through a magazine with Obama on the cover, she held it up and loudly yelled, “Niggah, you can’t get shit till you step ya’ game up like Obama!” It almost shocked me, and after thinking for a minute, I got real nervous.

As a people, trapped Afrikans in amerikkka, we have survived with the assistance of three things: sense of higher self, (religion/spirituality) sense of community, (he may be a nigga, but that’s still my people, that’s still me) and black womb(man)/man connection and solidarity. Nowhere is that more apparent than in the ‘hood. Historically, through our situation, whether it be slavery, civil rights, integration, hip-hop, (to a certain extent) or Y2K, Black Women have stayed by the side, and uplifted her equal counter-part, the Black Man.

With this new generation of youth whose thinking has been engrained with integration, I do not have much hope for my niggas. For clarity, my niggas/niggahs are those who are poor, saggin’ pants, can’t get a small business loan, young, old, broke, woman, man, tattooed, dealer/user of so-called drugs, hard-workin’, part-time job havin’, hustlin’, grindin’, broken-english usin’, makin’-a-way-out-of-no-way, with little or no help niggas!!

I tend to focus more on males than I do females because, for whatever reasons, our young Black female (niggas) get it. The ratio of young Black females to young Black males who are in college are 3 to 1; for every three females, in college, there is one male.

Obama does not speak on this.
Obama is running as amerikkka’s president.
Has integration helped us (Blacks/niggas)—in reality??
Obama believes in integration, he is a politician.

White liberals are scared of niggas/niggahs/niggers; the time has past for one people to be afraid of self. White liberals believe we should forget the past (reparations) and leave niggas/niggahs/niggers behind. Economically stable, so-called African-Americans are no different than white liberals. White sheep and brown sheep are being led by a great herder, while the masses of poor and niggas are being left behind. (Maybe, they are too ignorant to understand they are supposed to be sheep.)

In short, I have listened to both parties (republican and democrat) speak on the war, security, world leaders, the economy, and middle class. I have yet to hear the word poor, when it comes to a group of people. Wake up, poor people still exist; they make less than $40,000 a year. $250,000 a year to most poor people classifies richness. I’ve heard about tax breaks, and green jobs, but nothing about how this will affect my niggas/niggers/niggahs. I haven’t heard anything about a crime bill (code for getting niggas off the street) institutionalized racism, the prison industrial complex, america’s political prisoners, Katrina, Jena 6, or Mumia….I think the crime bill silence scares me the most.

Conspiracy? Black Separatist? Revolutionary? Vote Splitter? Crazy? I’ll be that—gladly! I just ask for those who are niggas, for those who still consider their Blackness, for those who truly care about the poor, and for those who are conscious—to question. Look at the choices (third party, Green Party included) and let your conscience be your voice….