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


  • Ramzy Baroud
    Teetering on the Brink of Genocide: Why Netanyahu is Keen on Prolonging the Gaza War
    21 Jan 2026
    Netanyahu's continuation of the Gaza genocide is integral to the continuity of the zionist project.
  • BAR Radio Logo
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    Black Agenda Radio January 16, 2026
    16 Jan 2026
    In this week’s segment, we discuss the abuse of state power domestically and internationally. In Minnesota, the Trump administration has unleashed ICE, resulting in the fatal shooting of a US citizen…
  • Caracas
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    Diego Sequera on Venezuelan Resistance
    16 Jan 2026
    Diego Sequera is a Venezuelan journalist. He joins us from Caracas to discuss the Venezuelan people's solidarity with the Bolivarian Revolution in the wake of the January 3rd kidnapping of President…
  • Minneapolis anti-ICE protest
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    ICE Invades Minnesota
    16 Jan 2026
    Suleiman Adan is Deputy Executive Director of the Minnesota Chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations. He joins us from Minneapolis, Minnesota, where Donald Trump has unleashed ICE…
  • Margaret Kimberley, BAR Executive Editor and Senior Columnist
    Renee Good, Keith Porter and the Normalization of Police Violence
    14 Jan 2026
    Law enforcement in the United States are responsible for more than 1,100 deaths in a typical year. This level of bloodshed goes unnoted even when police killings are deemed newsworthy and attract…
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us