Black Agenda Report
Black Agenda Report
News, commentary and analysis from the black left.

  • Home
  • Africa
  • African America
  • Education
  • Environment
  • International
  • Media and Culture
  • Political Economy
  • Radio
  • US Politics
  • War and Empire

The Great Debate in Harlem
Bill Quigley
24 Jun 2009
🖨️ Print Article

another debate

Last December 14, with Barack Obama's inauguration more than a month away, CEMOTAP and the Friends of Dr. Mtulu Shakur presented a debate at Harlem's Salem United Methodist Church, centered on the question: "Was the election of Barack Obama good for Black People? Yes or No?" The church was packed and the exchanges were heated, although the 8-minute limit on presentations proved woefully insufficient, and created as many problems as it was designed prevent.

On Sunday, June 28, the question will be posed: "After six months, is President Obama good for Black people?" We have been assured that the "roundtable discussion" will provide a more effective and fair format for debate. We at BAR believe our side made the better case ("NO") back in December, and are confident we will do so again, on June 28. See you there!

Do you need and appreciate Black Agenda Report articles? Please click on the DONATE icon, and help us out, if you can.


More Stories


  • Gary Wilson
    House Votes to Lock Israel Into U.S. War Machine for Wider War
    29 Jul 2026
    The House voted to permanently merge the U.S. and Israeli militaries. Israel has some control over the U.S. war machine, and Washington locks in a forward base in West Asia.
  • Bertin M. Louis, Jr.
    Anti-Haitianism: A Hemispheric Rejection of Black Humanity
    29 Jul 2026
    From the United States to the Dominican Republic to the Bahamas, the violence, collective scapegoating, and mass deportation of Haitians lay bare a particular kind of anti-Blackness. Anti-Haitianism…
  • Sharon Kyle
    Cuba Is Being Punished for Refusing Dependency
    29 Jul 2026
    Baba Akili and Thandiwe Abdullah returned from Havana with an eyewitness account of empty streets, failing hospitals and a people enduring the latest chapter of a long U.S. campaign against Caribbean…
  • Sara Flounders
    U.S. Government Terrorists Weaponize Subpoenas vs. the Left
    29 Jul 2026
    The House Ways and Means subpoenas against peace and justice organizations, paired with the State Department's designation of Cuba as the center of global terrorism, represent a coordinated…
  • BAR Radio Logo
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    Black Agenda Radio July 24, 2026
    24 Jul 2026
    In this week’s segment, we discuss sportswashing and the rationale of the calls to boycott the U.S. and the recent World Cup. But we begin with the Trump administration’s domestic repression and…
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us