What Obama Means
If there were a Pulitzer Prize for name dropping, Jamari Asim鈥檚 short new work of cultural commentary, What Obama Means ... For Our Culture, Our Politics, Our Future, would win it. I mean that as a compliment. 鈥淲hat Obama Means鈥� is loaded with a cast of characters that stretches from Thomas Jefferson to Malcolm X and beyond, all part of Asim鈥檚 attempt to understand the societal transformation that led to the election of America鈥檚 first African-American president.
Asim, who is editor in chief of The Crisis, the magazine of the NAACP, and author of the 2007 book 鈥淭he N Word: Who Can Say It, Who Shouldn鈥檛, and Why,鈥� takes a sweeping look at American cultural history, examining the troubled history of race relations in this country and studying some of the iconic figures who, in one fashion or another, had a part in paving the way for an Obama presidency.
For instance: For years, movies with black stars like Sidney Poitier were popular and respected by whites. Often, however, the characters that these actors played were of a type that聽 became known as 鈥渕agic Negroes.鈥�
Asim writes, 鈥淯sually such characters exist solely to assist a white protagonist in the pursuit of a goal (true love, say, or career success, or mastery of a sport).鈥� Some such characters even gave their lives for their white co-stars.
Fictions like these had their roots even deeper in America鈥檚 past, in such characters as Uncle Tom in 鈥淯ncle Tom鈥檚 Cabin鈥� and Jim in 鈥�Huck Finn.鈥�
More recently, there is the case of Dennis Haysbert. On the program 鈥�24,鈥� he played a senator who became president of the United States. 鈥淗e spent much of his campaign and his tenure with a target on his back [and] was assassinated,鈥� Asim writes. A white politician became president in his place.
Such fictional plots reflect real-life concerns. Many black and white Americans are fearful of a black president becoming a target. With good reason. Seven 20th-century presidents聽 have been shot at and two were killed. The Southern Poverty Law Center, which monitors hate messaging, found that it has increased since Election Day 2008.
In 1996, there was a movement to nominate Colin Powell for the presidency. General Powell could perhaps have been then what Barack Obama is today. But Powell鈥檚 wife, Alma, said in an interview that she got hate mail, and she believed, 鈥淎 black man running for president is going to be in a dangerous聽 position.鈥� Powell didn鈥檛 run.
In the mainstream US press, however, Obama had far more supporters than detractors. He was idolized. The Los Angeles Times and the Chicago Tribune both endorsed him. It was a surprise.
鈥淎fter all,鈥� writes Asim, 鈥渢he Tribune had never given its blessing to a Democratic candidate. Ever. For 161 years. The Los Angeles Times hadn鈥檛 endorsed any candidate for president since 1972.鈥�
Television journalist Chris Matthews made no secret of his own astonishment.聽 鈥淚鈥檝e been following politics since I was about 5. I鈥檝e never seen anything like this. This is bigger than Kennedy. This is the New Testament,鈥� he enthused.
Some black politicians were less than positive about Obama鈥檚 campaign, Asim notes. Andrew Young, the former right hand to the Rev. Martin Luther Jr. and later mayor of Atlanta, said last year that Obama should wait until 2016.
Jesse Jackson Sr. was especially anti-Obama. Last year he was caught on live microphone聽 using the 鈥渘鈥� word and expressing 鈥渁 desire to manually castrate [Obama].鈥�
(Jackson鈥檚 son, Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., spoke for his and Obama鈥檚 generation: 鈥淚鈥檓 deeply outraged and disappointed in Reverend Jackson鈥檚 reckless statements about Senator Barack Obama.鈥�)
Both Young and Mr. Jackson Sr. most likely voted for Senator Obama. Sen. John McCain got only 4 percent of the black voters, according to exit polling. Senator Obama got 95 percent. No Democratic presidential nominee ever previously received that large a percentage of the black vote.
As for the white vote, Obama received 44 percent (compared with 41 percent for John Kerry in 2004.)
Asim ends his survey of the past and future of race relations with words that are cautious yet joyful: 鈥淲hile this extraordinary, unforgettable time may not be the end of striving, it is, as the very least, a beginning of an unparalleled promise.鈥�
Theo Lippman Jr. wrote about civil rights as a staff member of the Atlanta Constitution and the聽 Baltimore Sun for 40 years.
