WAOD invites Barack Obama to the Black Women’s Roundtable

BY: SHECODES, WAOD Contributor
(Open letter to Barack Obama from SheCodes)
Dear Mr. Obama,

It looks like a few of your minions "ardent supporters" have begun invading the WAOD comments section, all worked into a frenzy because Black women have woken up and are asking some pointed questions about you and the other presidential candidates.

Some of them are ‘baffled’ by our decision to abandon the old paradigm of childlike obedience to (and hero-worship of) black male politicians. After all, shouldn’t we be groveling in gratitude to any educated brother that would deign to ride us like the obedient mules we were trained to be?

So why are we supposedly giving you, Barack Obama, a hard time? (read: asking a few, simple, intelligent questions are always automatically be construed as ‘a hard time’ or ‘racially traitorous’ if you are black and female)

The reason is simple: many of us have grown weary and disillusioned of ‘gospel talking’ politicians who will talk about Jesus, their wives, the weather, jazz music, and black loyalty… but come election day -- immediately and WITHOUT FAIL shove black women to the utter back of the priority bus – if we are allowed inside that bus at all.

So our question is the same: HOW ARE YOU DIFFERENT from the other politicians? Why should black women (equal emphasis on ‘women’ as ‘black’) vote for you?

What about our Daughters extends an open invitation to you, Mr. Obama, and any other political candidate to the Black Women’s Roundtable, Thursday evenings, 8:00 central. We don’t want to hear about how you just luurve collard greens or how you just watched ‘American Gangster’ with your kids.

Can you answer the following questions:

1) What are you going to do to decrease Black on Black crime? And yes, we mean DECREASE it, not just ‘slow down the rate of increase’. Do you even have a plan to clean up the crime-addled Dunbar Villages in America?

2) Phillippe Dauman is presiding over a brutally vicious, calculating and defamatory assault on the collective reputation and self-esteems of Black women. He wants the FCC to create legislation that will allow him to buy our newspapers, magazines, radio stations and even more TV channels to spread his stereotypical and harmful opinions of us. Are you going to stop him or not? It’s a yes or no question.

3) What if anything, are you willing to do to improve the physical health of Black women (hint: we have major problems with hypertension, heart disease, uterine fibroids, diabetes, depression, obesity, sickle-cell anemia, breast cancer and HIV.)

4) Would you fund research that will study the socio-economic health of black women, and present recommendations to change whatever forces are causing the 70% OOW rate, the 39% and counting never-wed rate?

5) How are you planning make a college education an affordable goal for more black women and girls?

6) How are you going to end the war on young black girls – namely the sexual molestations, the rapes, the hyper-sexualized imagery and the predatory sexual advances of older men?

7) What would happen to entrepreneurial funding and grants for minorities and women if you were to be elected?

So Mr. Obama, check us out at our Roundtable. We’ll even mute Professor Tracy and myself if you want. To be quite honest, most of us (including myself) are still looking for an excuse to vote for you, but haven’t seen anything yet except Oprah and your wife. If you are really as concerned about us as your minions "ardent supporters" say that you are, then you can at least address our concerns in person.

Sincerely,

SheCodes

Aside: Black women everywhere are cutting the apron strings, my brothers – it’s for your own good. Trust us! It’s time to be men and sink or swim on your own merit. We aren’t asking Barack anything that we aren’t asking the other politicians.

Special thanks to villager, who has at least attempted to answer our questions, minus the 'race-loyalty' sermon.

Quote of the day:
“Don't alter the course of your future over a fried chicken dinner and some fancy handshakes.” – Rashawn, WAOD reader

This post is in response to the comments to our post Michelle Obama Urges Black Women to Vote For Her Husband: Um, Why the Heck Should We? - Nov 25, 2007


UPDATE: For those of you who actually have lives, and can not read through all of the comments, I have created a quick, 'abridged' summary of the comments. It is comment #78, November 27, 2007 4:08 PM.