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


  • The Play Cousins Collective Serves the Needs of Black Families in Louisville, Kentucky
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    The Play Cousins Collective Serves the Needs of Black Families in Louisville, Kentucky
    04 Nov 2022
    Kristen Williams is Executive Director of the Louisville, Kentucky based Play Cousins Collective. Play Cousins Collective develops and facilitates programing and curriculum centering Black children's…
  • Dr. Al-Fatah Stewart Fights for Freedom
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    Dr. Al-Fatah Stewart Fights for Freedom
    04 Nov 2022
    Dr. Al-Fatah Stewart has been held in the Rikers Island correctional facility in New York City for the last 43 months without trial. He recorded this message from Rikers Island in October 2022. His…
  • Politicians Make Black People the Face of Crime
    Margaret Kimberley, BAR Executive Editor and Senior Columnist
    Politicians Make Black People the Face of Crime
    02 Nov 2022
    Manufactured crime panics are still a successful method of getting votes from white people.
  • SPEECH: Thomas Sankara to the United Nations General Assembly, 4th October, 1984
    Editors, The Black Agenda Review
    SPEECH: Thomas Sankara to the United Nations General Assembly, 4th October, 1984
    02 Nov 2022
    While the spirit of Thomas Sankara may be behind the recent coup in Burkina Faso, his vision remains an inspiration for everyone, everywhere, committed to anti-imperialism and third world autonomy.
  • Glaring Western Hypocrisy on Human Rights in Africa: Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of Congo
    Ann Garrison, BAR Contributing Editor
    Glaring Western Hypocrisy on Human Rights in Africa: Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of Congo
    02 Nov 2022
    The US and EU are complicit in the continued Rwandan and Ugandan incursions into the Democratic Republic of Congo, as well as in their support of their TPLF proxies against Ethiopia.
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us