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

Is Barack Obama Good For Black People? The Great Debate in Harlem, Part 2 of 2
Bill Quigley
12 Aug 2009
🖨️ Print Article
On June 25, hundreds of black America's formost thnkers and doers gathered at St. Mary's Church in Harlem NY to ask and answer the question of whether Barack Obama was good or bad for black America. We here present some of the 5 to 7 minute presentations pro and con on whether Barack Obama is good for black America. Click the flash players to listen to or the mics to download them in MP3 format.

Glen Ford

The fact, says Dr. Jared Ball of Morgan State University and voxunion.com, is that Barack Obama did not emerge from the struggle of our people for peace and justice.  He has been imposed upon us by outside forces in answer to that struggle, not in fulfillment of it..

Charles Barron

 

While NY City Councilman Charles Barron disagrees with some of Obama's policies, he seems to draw a line around those who disagree with the president, calling them “intellectuals” who he says, do the hood no good.

 

Dr. Marimba Ani

Give the brotha a break?  Dr. Marimba Ani doesn't think we should give the American empire a break.  If anything, she notes, having a black man sitting in the big chair makes it harder to fight.

Charles Barron

 

argues that Barack Obama represents incremental but significant change, and even though the election was eight months ago, reaches back to compare Obama with McCain.

 

 

Viola Plummer

Barack Obama is a “yes we can” symbol of national unity for black people, says Viola Plummer.

.

 

Diop Olugbala

 

 

The Uhuru Movement's Diop Olugbala argues that a lesser evil is still quite evil. We can, he insists, do better.

 

Click here for part one of the Great Debate in Harlem, with Glen Ford, Dr. Leonard Jeffries, Nellie Bailey and Dr. Gloria Browne Marshall

 

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


More Stories


  • Boots on the ground in Buffalo
    Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
    Boots on the ground in Buffalo
    25 May 2022
    Boots on the ground in Buffalo
  • BAR Book Forum: Omedi Ochieng’s “Groundwork for the Practice of the Good Life”
    Roberto Sirvent, BAR Book Forum Editor
    BAR Book Forum: Omedi Ochieng’s “Groundwork for the Practice of the Good Life”
    25 May 2022
    This week’s featured author is Omedi Ochieng. Ochieng is Associate Professor in Black Studies and in the Department of Communication at Denison University. His book is Groundwork for the Practice of…
  • Biden Redeploys Pentagon Troops to Somalia While Humanitarian Crisis Looms
    Abayomi Azikiwe
    Biden Redeploys Pentagon Troops to Somalia While Humanitarian Crisis Looms
    25 May 2022
    Joe Biden's troop redeployment in Somalia is a continuation of a 30-year long US intervention. It comes at a time of severe drought and a humanitarian crisis.
  • The U.S. Gives Us Hell but it’s a Liberated Africa that Can Douse the Flames
    Mark P. Fancher
    The U.S. Gives Us Hell but it’s a Liberated Africa that Can Douse the Flames
    25 May 2022
    African Liberation Day is a reminder that African descended people make progress when joined together in international unity. Internationalism is essential.
  • Is This the End of the French Project in Africa’s Sahel?
    Vijay Prashad
    Is This the End of the French Project in Africa’s Sahel?
    25 May 2022
    The west African Sahel region is described as "one of the poorest places on earth" and has suffered from French colonial interventions and austerity demanded by western financial institutions.…
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us