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


  • International People's Tribunal on U.S. Imperialism
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    International People's Tribunal on U.S. Imperialism
    10 Feb 2023
    The Tribunal is holding hearings on the impact of sanctions, economic coercive measures, in 16 countries in Latin America, Africa and Asia.
  •  R.E.A.L. Youth Initiative Works for Prison Abolition
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    R.E.A.L. Youth Initiative Works for Prison Abolition
    10 Feb 2023
    R.E.A.L. Youth Initiative develops revolutionary consciousness and community among current and formerly incarcerated youth towards abolition of prisons and the conditions that reproduce them.
  • Biden's Pardon and the Challenge of Changing Marijuana Laws
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    Biden's Pardon and the Challenge of Changing Marijuana Laws
    10 Feb 2023
    New congressional legislation is needed to change marijuana laws.
  • China Balloon is Pretext for US Provocation
    Margaret Kimberley, BAR Executive Editor and Senior Columnist
    China Balloon is Pretext for US Provocation
    08 Feb 2023
    An errant balloon from China sent the U.S. into a frenzy of fear and hatred. The president, congress, and corporate media all made sure that a harmless incident was viewed in the worst light…
  • ESSAY: Black Studies in the Age of Obama: John H. Bracey, Jr. 2011
    Editors, The Black Agenda Review
    ESSAY: Black Studies in the Age of Obama: John H. Bracey, Jr. 2011
    08 Feb 2023
    The late John H. Bracey, Jr. argued that Black Studies should be wedded to African liberation, not to the corporate-bureaucratic structure of the university.
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us