nation of cowards (excerpt)

7/31/2019 Nation of Cowards (excerpt)

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DAVID H . IKARD AND MARTELL LEE TEASLEY

NATION

OF

COWARDS

Black Activism in Barack Obama’s

Post-Racial America



C O N T E N T S

· Introduction: Is America a Nation of Cowards or Has

Aorney General Eric Holder Lost His Mind? 1

1 Te eaching Moment Tat Never Was: Henry Louis Gates,

Barack Obama, and the Post-Racial Dilemma 23

2 “I Know What’s in His Heart”: Enlightened Exceptionalism

and the Problem with Using Barack Obama as the Racial

Litmus est for Black Progress and Achievement 37

3 Te Audacity of Reverend Wright: Speaking ruth

to Power in the wenty-First Century 57

4 Seing the Record Straight: Why Barack Obama and

America Cannot Aord to Ignore a Black Agenda 83

5 Pull Yourself Up by Your Bootstraps: Barack Obama,

the Black Poor, and the Problems of Racial

Common Sense Tinking 103

· Notes 137

· Works Cited 143

· Index 151



23

When disinguished k Hrvr proor Hry Lo “Skp”G w rr Cmr, t, r or -orderly coduc o July 16, 2009, by Jme Crowley, whie policeor, ory m o mr q. Fmr Ar Amr r Ar Amr m

prr v o y ory w po or j- ym, k o vry. Uq k m, G, mr r r w wy po“r” powr y o k o v v. (I odid’ hur h Ge hd ried i high plce, icludig he r

blck preide o he Uied Se.) Ideed, i i highly likely hmy, o mo, k m oy or wy-v v o po ry or mrm ory o . m -

sance unique, hen, was no he ac ha i involved a rich and powerul k m wo w p qo po or, wp m o ov, k ooqm o, G w o

w or o p r o mtr prr Cmr j ym o rop r w-o v o, y, orz m moro or o o rrk.

o o r rrv G of r-rz w Jo orr “ proo rr,” o

1

The Teaching Moment That Never Was

Henry Louis Gates, Barack Obama,

and the Post-Racial Dilemma



24 Nation of Cowar ds

o u who re milir wih Ge’ cholrhip d poliicl oulook roz o o rr rom r. I “Skp Gd he Po-Rcil Projec,” Meli Hrri-Perry righly oe hp r ovr prm o o Ar Amr G “ o r wrror k o r r jo wor.” Rr mo opr o “ oor o k alen, inellec, ar, and achievemen” (online). Noing Gaes’s endency o ompr m o “r m” . E. B. D Bo,Hrr-Prry r mtr o ry G rm D Booy o r mpz mpor o y k

r. Crrz G vory mom “o ko po-rcilim,” Hrri-Perry coed h Ge i “emored”

w “Amr [r vry] proj,” o o w as some popular media oules have claimed. Gaes, in oher words, is norace man or acivis-scholar. He has been popping his “pos-racial” collaror q om m. Ev k oorvv Jo orr om o G’ . I y, “G I R— ’rNo Po-R U H’ ro,” orr wr “

ha [Gaes] should have exhibied ‘deerence o he police’ [even hough w ry j p y rroo] or om k m’ or w po v [p oo]. . . . r’ ro G o Washing-

on Pos . . . w pp o m w pr o ‘r rrv,’ wr ry orm ry o. rop

w k m po or , , m kp Amr rom om ‘po-r’ y ” (o).

ppr ovo o oo my Ar Amr wo o-ow p orovry, Pr Om, w vi Gaes was “unruly” and “hosile,” as Crowley claims in his police repor w, or ror, G vmy r, oo o . G, wo y w m ow r-, m o po o po po r pr o his race. Te exclusive, upper-class Cambridge neighborhood in which

G r promy w. o o m wy Pr Om omp o w o orovry, -



The Teaching Moment that never Was 25

mo o wo y roy rm moo his abiliy—even as a sel-branded pos-racialis—o openly condemno rm. Gv oy ry o r r orovry vov rop w ormr porRv. Jrm r, poo r m, ry U, progreive blck ioli–leig church, io boz or hicampaign in his now amous “race speech,” one can imagine ha Obama o r-mor-- . o o y Om wo w po o o rv. Omoy r ry aer Cmr po prm ropp

ll chrge gi Ge. Moreover, he preide w deedig he“Barack Obama o black sudies,” i you will.3 As previously noed, Gaes

w o ro o r mtr. I y, G k w yo k or po-r prpvo w r o r mtr. I ppr, , Pr Om

w k G’ rpo po-r r romediaor and, no doub, his own culural clou on similar grounds, wouldrz y po owk prp v or prov

o o r pro po. H w ry mk.o orrow jor E Co’ rmooy, w o o v

“r-o” oy; or vry oo o ry v woqulie hum re rerced hrough domi prim o rce., pr w w or o vro wy rdened and dicaed he poliical and social erms on which hese issueso my p pr. pr q-o or o i r mtr o o rr ow

r mtr. ov rom r o p rm o ow Ar Amr provy v ompx vr- r-o k, w or wy Om’decidedly pos-racial posures overdeermine black agency and box himi poliiclly o mter o rcil iequliy. Te c h Obm, ormr ommy orzr o vo or k poor,o roy rm xpov (w) oom o om-

m o G mor rm o p o po-r por r-o oy.




Teacha ble Meens n acein e ica: lacs nl

Fieldig queio bou he Ge/Crowley icide durig preconerence ouing his new healhcare reorm iniiaives, Obama opined

w mor, rpr w omry mr o-ory o, rm wr rrt , wov po, o’ pk o “w ro rpy ” G’ rr. H moy:

B I k ’ r o y, mr o, any o us wo prty ry; mr

wo, Cmr po py rr omoy w r w ry proo y wr r ow om. A mr r, w Ik w kow pr pr rom r o ory ory o Ar-Amr Lo opp y w or-m proporoy. ’ j . (Chicago Sun-imes, my mp)

Rm o kw xo pr o o Er Hor’“o o owr” omm, m ok o Om’ r-erizaion o he Cambridge police as having “aced supidly” in arresing

G fr rm w r op o omd o burglr. Virully overigh, he iol rrive hifedrom o o G, Crowy, r pro o Om’ (m)handling o a sensiive naional racial mater. Indeed, a Pew Survey aken m rv 9 pr o p w wr o Om’comme o he icide. Te poll d lo reveled h Obm’“pprov r mo o-Hp w ovr or o rvw pro o o G ory f rom

abou he inciden o Obama’s remarks abou he inciden” (Pew). Beore ory f o Om’ rmrk, pprov r mo o-Hp w w 53 pr. Afrwr, o 46 pr. A,v o o w ry p o wo w G/Crowy o ov, “mor pop pprov (41%) pprov (29%) o pr’ o o. A y mr o o wo-o-o, mor w pprov (45%) p-prov (22%)” (Pw).

While echiclly Obm ever pologized ourigh or mkighi remrk, he iiied public relio cmpig, bookig ier-




vw w mjor vo work, wr vo rrovr o o wor rrz Crowy CmrPolice Deprme hvig “ced upidly” i rreig Ge. Helo drmiclly hifed ger o igig blme, oig h bohm proy ovrr. Rr k o mrk oorr or, Om—v o y Crowy—v om r m o Ho o ro o r rvy ovr r. m-r “Br Smm,” w Omrepresened (his ime rom he amiliar posiion o race mediaor raher r ror) mom o o, mo

o t mor p ro r o mp ow mrzy. V Pr Jo B v m ppr, p-perce h w decribed wihou iroy i he New York Times “dd[ig] blce o he phoo op” (“Over Beer, No Apologie, buP o Hv L”).

Le’ begi our exmiio o he rcil chllege o Obm’pry prom o po-r k po y rk k o ro p o k -rmo

he delivered o he Cenennial Convenion in New York he very y r G w rr. Om r moy pand auen black audience o abandon vicim-cenric narraives ha ieor pr oooom r o or ptr o w oppr-sion. O paricular noe is a segmen o he speech in which Obama veersrom hi prepred ex d luche io blck precherly cdece,mo Ar Amr o rvmp r m- o om rr qy. Sy ry o

logdig Aric Americ belie h he ederl goverme ichiey responsible or righing he hisorical wrongs o whie oppression k, Om rmoz:

Govrm p o wo’ or r o Prom L. w m , w o t—because one o he mos durable

and desrucive legacies o discriminaion is he way we’ve inernalized a sense

o limiaions; ow o my or ommy v om o xp o t rom wor rom mv. ’v o o y o or r, y, yo’r

Ar A mr, o o row p m rm r r. Y, yo v poor oroo, yo w omoy wy r o o v o . B ’ o ro o r . . .




’ o ro o . . . ’ o ro o v p o yor o rop o o oo . . . No o wrt yor y or yo. Your desiny

is in your hands—you canno orge ha. ’ w w v o o or

r. No x . . . No x. Yo o, all hose hardshipswill jus make you sronger, beter able o compee. Y w .

o pr . . . w ’ or k o o w oo o p-por m w y om. . . . Yo ’ j or o pr. For or

k o x, w v o p or rpoy o p m r. mpt wy Xox . . . [] pt or k o ro or. . . .

We need o go back o he ime, back o he day when we parens saw . . . some kid

ooling around and i wasn’ your child , bu hey’ ll whup you anyway. . . . Or a leas

hey’ll ell your parens. . . . Ta’s he meaning o communiy. Ta’s how we can

reclaim he srengh and he deerminaion and he hopeulness ha helped us come

so ar; helped us make a way ou o no way. (o, my mp)

A r , Om’ o-ov, rmo mo o k el-deermiio d empowerme eem producive, i o lo-r -v. Gv rm o k r m-ily, he low cdemic chieveme re compred o whie, d he r o k m rro, wo r pr- or k ok o y orr -rv v-

or, py rr o pr o? prom wOm’ porr o Bk Amr ro r -o-ois, o borrow Lani Guinier’s phrasing, “hisory does mater” when exam- rr q vop r o om m.o o , Om’ p m ory ro ( ry pr o p r o o o vry JmCrow egregio) hi rrive pivo o milir uerig-mke- you-roger reri h obcure he myrid obcle o blck el-

deerminaion, on he one hand, and les whies o he hook or pas andpr k oppro, o or. oo o k -r-mo Om vo or p, r m “w m” “w o t,” r, , o o r pf rr ro orvv rmwork. I oinconsequenial, hen, ha Obama’s “new” mindse and atiudes beckonha we reurn o a romanicized culural momen “back in he day” when

we supposedly placed a higher premium on communiy and moral values p r p or’ r. Cry mrom romz porr, o or, r oooom -




or k ommo xpr o ovr rm pr pr o k ok or o o po o y, -m o w-ry Cv R ovm. Om’o ror r r, w o y py p kwoo rr “p op ro” o Ar Amr rlrgely o blme or ilig blck commuiie, hif he debe over

k -rmo rom or o om o o pro. Cor wy Om r mo blck el-deeim. He wrie, “he mo durble d derucive o rmo wy we’ve rz o m-

o” (Sw, my mp). Rr kow w vory or m v vry, Jm Crow ro, oher orchesraed orms o oppression, Obama shifs he blame rheori-y oo Ar Amr. I ormo, oy Ar Amr- r r v rpoy o r or o ory.

, , y o w oppro r my rr v w v o r ory or r k m rr q k o vry, Jm Crow

ro, k. Wh hi rheoricl erure o whie culpbiliy i oppreig

k omm o Amr r Ar Amr prr Bk Amr omow rrv poo ocioecoomic crii due, i lrge pr, o their ilure o ee pym w oppro. o w, Om “o o or” “Yor y yor .” H oow p w, “Yo o, o rp w j mk yo ror, tr o

omp” (Sw). No oy o o w py oo he racial equaion or achieving black sel-deerminaion and empow-rm o oo k, y xo or o

wo, o vw oppro my ro o o k vm o qy. Fow rory k vry p- vro o Bookr . o’ “A Expoo Ar” w ko k o vw rp o vry oppor-y or o mor row, Om r racis po-rrgume h blck who demd quible whie ccoubiliy or pree-dy rucurl iequliie (like hoe h cll or repr-




o or vry) r omow kwr k. orovr, Omr or o r mpowrm owr romz ymo om wy rom ror r o or rr rrr o o mpr k pwr moy ory povry.

The “ace eech” and acii ng Whies

I rm o po ry o o pry, po-r ror Om rr C Co-

veio h prove quie eecive. Ideed, Obm’ poliicl cl ligr w yproory ror o r; ror , o, w oo k -rmo w o -r y w vmzo ( mo ov) proj po-r m U S w o oy po o-logically ineviable. o be air o Obama on his score, he radically racedm ory ry Ar Amr o r y o o r qy o o o o

w oy; , my wy, w momcocerig iue o rce my be for ll Americ, hey c oly beabou k Amr.

A we wieed hroughou hi hioric d rilblzig polii- mp, Om ry kr o r rm

wvr po. A y w r, w ro admonish blacks generally and black men specically o ake srongerownership o sel-deerminaion—especially in relaion o childrearing,

o, rmy—or o oooom r we hve mde io owrd rcil equliy. Eve whe Obm w pr o v p o r r Dmorprmr fr xpov p r o om r por mor Rv. Jrm r m o porry U S orvy r, vo r rp o ook k -ry k m o w mpo ommoo o k

y m Sr r o po orrpo—o or w oppro—or orrp k/w ro.Tough i hi peech he broched he iue o lvery d i lig




oooom o k, ry f ovro rommro o ptr o r oppro owr mroissues and personal narraives. His overriding poliical message was ha

w o o rm—pr o o o k/ w oor — o r. H r kp vr-ble epre llow u o ee d pprecie ech oher’ humiy

yo w o or r royp r p o ormo r ory. I rrv, r mr oo pro m r wo rrty ow o pr wo o r o ym o jm. Gv

o r rrv, Om vok w rmory Dm or po. H o po rro r o k m v opy mr Om r k o--w. I Om’ ormo, o vy r D-m r mor o o o r rrty rt w o vy ory orv. H po h we re ll complici o ome level i uiig Americ’ rcildrm. While he peech proved wildly eecive, virully quhig

r orovry ovr (v o or r-p y om r pr Om o rk w pr m-or or) promp ompro m o rpo p U.S. ory, o rv o rr ox Ompoy o o r. I or xpo, py or po-ry m w vor, oor- ppro w only m orv wy or Om Bk Amro r mtr.

T Obm w cugh o gurd by he corovery d medi bliz sparked by his commens abou Gaes and he “supid-acing” Cam- r po mor, o o v, rroy whi el-brdig po-rcili d hi poliicl giio giovr r qy. pok r Om m w po-r k Amr, w wo o vo orm, y w p . A o omm y -r w Om pporr o “KJ ” -re how hi broke brgi plyed ou or my o hi core whieoy. KJ Om or k r o




orovry y ppor G, xp w o-w o-luio or him becue ulimely culpbiliy i i he eye o he be-holder. Oering her own version o a balanced racial criique, she argues “r pop w ook G o SEE r,” p o r r v po. Ex vy o

o xrm r prpv o orovry, o Gaes and Crowley were equally culpable. She hen admonishes Obama,“Te coury ans more h yhig o ge beyod hee kido . ory ing. wy y vo or Om! k o las w ” (o). o KJ

ovoy k ror opo o Om, r ro— which i woeully hioricl i cope—grow ou o imilr rcil Om mpoy r pr mp, handling o Eric Holder’s race speech, a he Cenennial conven-o, owr rpry xopo rop k Brr Pry Pro. ymo p o Om pro o r- r mk. KJ ’ k r or o xpr rm o or rv;

o o k m o o o pry w mproo o w ry. Om w my or KJ

, rr rj r w or his circumsance, he “ook sides” and hus inamed more racial divisive-. I or, r m o Om w vor ow

y xpr r k. A rm kp o rrzo o Crowy

Cmr Po Dprm mor, Om ry rz m rom w oy. I ry o-equece, he, h whe he ex mjor “rcil e” cme log—So Cro Rp orm Jo o o o “Yo!” r pr r or U.S. Cor—Omrevered conspicuously o his branded pos-racial posure. When ormerpreide Jimmy Crer weighed i o he iuio d gged Wil-o’ behvior rci— cocluio h drew he uppor o uch

liberal pos-racialiss like New York Times

journalis Maureen Dowd andv pr proy o o Saurday Nigh Live—Om




roy rj oo r Cor p r o rop mtr or.7 I r orovry, oory rj r w or ro ow m o r k p ro o

wr proor of wv por porry Om Hr Ar Door.

Look k Om’ orovr omm o G he Cambridge Police Deparmen, we begin o see he rue cos o pos-racial hinking o black olks in paricular. Because o whies’ preoccupa-o w Om’ ppor o G m o Cmr

po, mo v p o Om’ omm rrr pro rm j ym ompy o mradar. Following he inamous saemen concerning he “supid” behav-or o Cmr po, Om r,

I k w kow pr pr rom r oory ory o Ar-Amr Lo opp y w orm proporoy. ’ j .

A yo k ow, . . . w I w r I o, w work o

r pro r w p v k Hp wr opp proporoy. A , xmpo ow, yo kow, r rm or oy.

o’ r pror m. I m r moy o pror ’ m. A y o mtr, , yo kow, .

And even when here are hones misundersandings, he ac ha blacks and

Hispanics are picked up more fequenly, and oen ime or no cause, cass suspicion

even when here is good cause. A ’ wy I k mor w’r work w o w orm o mprov po q o w’r m-

po , r vryoy’ o o . (Sw)

mo pop o’ kow w, , popr m w mk kow, w 2002, w or I-linois, Obama had been a major player in passing an osensible ani-racialproling legislaion ha mandaed he collecion o daa on he race andy o moor opp y po. Aor o Hrvy Grom, ror o o Io, o rom

y 2008 rv “ Ar Amr rvr Io r25 pr mor ky o opp Hp rvr r 10 pr




more likely o be opped h whie driver” (olie). Addiiolly, ow fr k Hp rvr wr opp orrouie rc violio, hey were r more likely h whie o bek or “o” o r r v. Grom xp, “r r prorm w r o r po o wro-doing and are a he complee discreion o he police” (online). He noes 2006 I o S Po “wr w ky o k Ar-can American driver or permission o search his car and our imes moreky o k Hp rvr or prmo o r w ompr

w w moor” (o). p o r

y Io S Po rvw , w “ r w o o xpo or pr rm o moronce hey are sopped or a rouine rac inracion” (online). Te rub is “ o y ow po r mor ky o corbd i he mller percege o whie moori hey erch,ompr w r pr o mory moor jo m rm. Dp m o r r mpor w orm ‘oo,’ rv or r

yr 200, xmp, o mo o r wr o o r prorm y Io S Po” (o).

Corry o (w) p prpo Om w “pkide” d pekig ou o ur o he iue, he w, i c, uniquely qualied o speak o hese issues o racial proling in he criminal jusiceyem. No oly hd Obm wieed rcil prolig by he police

w ow y— ry mmor Dreams

o My Faher (2004)— o r xpr -

lor crfig policie h helped ideiy d comb he logd- pr. r o o Om rm poo his culural blackness in speaking ou in avor o Gaes and agains he(moy w) Cmr Po Dprm. Om vrhis commens a he press conerence on healhcare in a jocular and ligh-r wy— r ry rom o-o rr, prry ror p—rv w wr, o om v, w r o poy xpov j v my

v w Amr wo rpo povy o m. A r o, w’ ry wr o v o




he low level o racial olerance in America, a siuaion made all he moreom y y o r po-r pr.

o vw o r orovry w p roGe’ rre , bove ll, wrig gi corucig empower-m r r qry o r m. o oy h dicoure o ipirio d hope re iherely bkrup.I properly wedded o ubive regie o ocil reorm— wev w roo ory o k r USaes—such discourses can prove quie eecive. Te problem emerges,owvr, w w o or m w mr ry o v-

ig i rced-obeed ociey. Reowed wrier d eyi RlphEllio ouche o hi pheomeo i “Hrlem I Nowhere” whe xpo o wy o my k wo mr rom So oHrm r po–or r I r xpr pyo rk.Bv y Hrm or oppory or m ov o my Amr Drm, my k o wEllison calls heir “peasan cynicism” when hey ed he Jim Crow Souh.Eo r “p ym” oo “r o op or

m o op op,” o m prov o moo ry “ rom oro p . . . o ry o [o’ r] prm” Amr (298). It r py r r ow, k orr op oor o moo pyoo r r rom o v- q r ppr rom w o o “ory” o r o U S.

o r p f wy

Eo wro y 1948, y o py prmo Bk Amr o r my rr. v o kpm o r pror , , y r po-r v x r o rr qy ory. Ir, k pr om wy m mor—o— o r ompo o rr qy, o o G Om r r wy. I k-oo, w proy wo’ r o m vr ow mpy r ro , o y m oo. Rrty, r o ,py k otom r o oy, o o v xry




o ollowig heir led. Te ke or our ocioecoomic helh d w- r mpy oo o y ow. I r rro “Po-rkkk” rp rop D Prz r o rr voor Brk Om o mjor p owr k mpowrm.y wx poy, “I o’ w o or my ok [rom voor Om] / I v op/ I jus wan us o wan more” (“Pork-kks,” my emphasis). And, herein lies he crux o he problem. I we ruly

w o r or or, w v o “w mor” ymop o v k my Ho, owvr opha makes us eel, and do more han ran wihin our communiies abou

r pro rr qy, owvr my mo p po o j.I y, mom o r Amr w

only have real uiliy when boh whies and blacks (and or ha mater allr rop) p o mp r rm o- o v o or oy. A G orovry mor raher dramaic ashion, he elecion o Barack Obama as he 44h presi- o mrk o r oppro or rr q

U S. Cr o r r xpov ow y v vr . po opmm p, r o poo m ok ry ow po or k m o o pry w m o k om-muniy remains unemployed, undereducaed, overrepresened in prison, m povry. A r r o ory, quo power hierarchies—which perpeuae blacks’ subordinae socioeco-nomic saus—has always proven o be a risky and dangerous enerprise,

py or o w k omm w w ror po o. B, o r o wor o o Nro pr,ooy ro o qy wo y. O orr; Ar Amr r o o o “op” or “-p” r

way o soluions o he problems plaguing our communiies. “When youPry,” o Ar provr, “mov yor .”

nation of cowards (excerpt)

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