Barry says...

This week the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People... I actually had to explain that to someone a few days ago) celebrated its centennial & had, for its final speaker, the big man himself, Barack H. Obama. (Check the video here.) The material was so-so... Nothing particularly thought-provoking (unlike w/ Cornell West who spoke the day before &, among other things, warned us not to become "adjusted to the injustice." Glitter). Some stuff about self-determination that I can get behind.

As he spoke, & especially towards the end when the speech hit its crescendo, I was perpetually reminded that he grew up as an atheist in an all-white household & learned how to speak gospel much later in life. His well-placed use of ancient clichés that moved the audience to thunderous applause sounded just that... well-placed. This only served to remind me that while it's certainly true that he's our first black president, his experience is such that he is moved squarely out of what many blacks refer to as the black experience. (I'm not sure exactly what this experience entails, but I know a white atheist mother is not usually a part of it). What's more, I have to admit, I feel we do Ann a disservice when we refer to a man who looked up to his blanche mother each day as if he's "exclusively" black. Show the woman some respect.

This is the part where I started going on at some length about race & language, but I've decided your tight little jaws are probably tired already. I'll let you chew on that one a little later. Momòhu Akbar. [MdG]