The Black Informant | African American Commentary, News and Community Building

“Some leading blacks say that President Obama has neglected Anacostia and that he’s neglected African-Americans as a whole. The recession has taken a disproportionate toll on African-Americans in unemployment, social service and education budget cuts, foreclosures and bankruptcies, and some social commentators, including prominent radio and TV host Tavis Smiley, lay the blame at Obama’s door: ‘The bottom line is the president needs to take issues of black America more seriously because black folks are catching hell,’ Smiley said.

But J is more forgiving of Obama.

When asked if Obama has neglected African-American concerns, she giggled, pushing back wisps of electric pink hair from her forehead. ‘Being the president is like having a lot of kids,’ she said. “You can’t just focus on one kid – the black community. You’ve got to spend time with everyone.” (more…)

So let me get this straight. White President? He can’t move fast enough to address the urgent needs of Black folks lest we revert back to the days of Jim Crow. Black President (according to the census)? Awwww, give him some time to figure things out. Black unemployment still down when his “stimulus” promised to help “put Americans back to work”? No pressure, bruh. We gotcha back.

Either we have lowered the price tag of the needs we have labeled as “urgent” for decades or we have lowered our expectancy of this nation’s first Black President.