African Americans have a strong history of standing up against injustice and hatred. This is not the case currently. Although America has its first African American president, many who claim to support Obama are silent about the right-wing’s quest to humiliate and doubt his legitimacy to serve as the commander in chief.
Just last week we lost a great scholar who made a career in speaking out for truth and against racist dogma, Dr. Manning Marable. But nowadays, it seems we are top heavy with more entertainers and athletes and celebrities than thinkers, intellectuals and those concerned with the collective over the individual. True, some entertainers and celebrities can hold the banner, and some have, such as James Brown, Bill Cosby, Arthur Ashe, Hank Aaron and Muhammad Ali did in the past, but such is not the case for celebrities today.
Over the past few weeks, presidential hopeful and tea party flunkie Donald Trump has been front and center in stating his belief that President Obama is not a native born American citizen. Trump, a billionaire and executive producer of the weekly television show “Celebrity Apprentice,” has received some criticism from African Americans, but not much. Especially not from celebrities.
On his show there are several people of color including the rapper Little Jon, the reality television beneficiary NeNe Leakes, singer Dionne Warrick, and lawyer Star Jones, but to my amazement, none have spoken out openly against Trump’s assertions that Obama was not born in America. I find this troubling for two reasons. First, that they are afraid and subconsciously see Trump as a slave master who would be more prone to chop off their foot for not changing their slave name (a metaphor for money) than to stand for the truth and their community. The second is that they appear to be cowards, afraid to voice their beliefs in support of Obama, as if they have forgotten they will not be sprayed with a water hose or have dogs let loose on them.
I am very saddened that in 2011, people feel obligated to act more as slaves than free individuals. That is unless they, too, believe Obama is not a native born American. If they do not, then they are serving their own interests over the community’s, the same community that supported them and made them wealthy. –torrance stephens, ph.d.
Torrance Stephens is the author of the blog rawdawgb.blogspot.com. Find him on twitter.com/rawdawgbuffalo.
