Is Barack Obama's "Personal" Take on Race in U.S, As Black President or as The Head Waiter for The American Empire of White Supremacy?

I’m not sure if President Obama, who’s been at best "MIA" from Black America since he was elected, made his "unprecedented" remarks about race, to assuage Black people-still reeling from the Trayvon Martin verdict- or, to reassure white liberal America- who because of the verdict- for the first time had to directly confront the elaborately sophisticated, mostly stealth, and always updating mechanisms of white supremacy, that continuously benefits them as a group.

In his speech President Obama situated himself as a victim of race, when as a candidate for U.S. Senate, he was mistaken for a waiter at an exclusive party in New York.  But what he's really doing is mitigating the true oppressiveness of American White Supremacy on Black males, as if the U.S. Presidency is just as much in the possible trajectory for Black males as winding up in jail, or dead on the side walk like Trayvon Martin.

What's ironic about President Obama's "waiter" comment isn't just that he has allowed the predatory international bankers and corporations to continuously loot the American economy, thereby creating only service sector jobs like waiters and waitresses. But also the fact that President Obama ran and won the Presidency as a progressive change agent, but in fact turned out to be a "caretaker president" or "servant" for the continuation of The American Empire of White Supremacy. In fact I think it's accurate to view President Obama's presidency as a " head waiter" taking the dwindling resources from America's kitchen and serving them to the 2 percent elite.       

Facebook/ On Liberalism, an Entropic Political State

I use Facebook to keep up to date on the public performances of my friends who are artists. But mostly its my medium to keep up to date with the material that my progressive friends are reading and share the articles that I’m reading as well. Because this sharing leads, often times, to intense written communications posted on facebook, I closely limit whom I accept as friends. There are some that I wish I had never befriended, but most are people that I benefit from this communications although some personal posts I wish they would keep to themselves.

I also learn a lot from my liberal white friends, mostly about how liberalism is a failed state of politics. For instance I’m always amazed and disappointed at the amount of time they spend ranting to each other about what the Republicans are doing, while never holding their own accountable for their lack of activism. They also never hold the Democratic Party accountable for failing to mobilize their base except for voting and fundraising. 

For instance, the big topic of vitriol this week is the increase of grass roots donations for the defense fund of George Zimmerman, the killer of Trayvon Martin, after a judge sent him back to jail for lying about his finances.  Meanwhile the donations for the three Occupy Wall Street protestors locked up in Cook County jail continue to lag. In many ways I respect the those that are rallying around George Zimmerman more than I do my liberal friends who are not willing to put their beliefs to practice. This is the same with the Tea Party, while their views are odious as are those who support Zimmerman, if my liberal friends spent as much time organizing as the Tea Party does and less time complaining about the Tea Party, then Barack Obama and the Democratic Party would be a lot more progressive and dynamic as opposed to a raisin under the hot sun of American Right Wing Politics. 

* photo is of me standing with a Mardi Gras Indian on Super Sunday in New Orleans

Some of Her Best Friends Are White

I'm back or am I? Metamorphosed from a Spook into something else. Same intensity, but quieter now, because things are less safe, in this world. 


Notes From a "Post Black" America


Myra Greene is a local artists ( I have posted some of her work) who like numerous Black people have leaped into a world of whiteness.  In her case a conscious choice that she says is based upon her profession and her travels.  


This is strange because when I travel I always seek out those who "look" like me and although this is more difficult in a work environment, I would think it would be easier for a Black artist to find more, "people of color" to connect with. 


I suspect that Ms. Greene is in fact more comfortable around white people due to her historical lot in life. But this is speculation, well sort of, as her latest work is entitled "My White Friends"which is a series of portraits of 50 of her White friends, which certainly is a lot of white friends.  But this makes me appreciate her even more because unlike so many Black folk who are more comfortable in White worlds, she doesn't pretend not to notice, which drives me insane when Black people pretend other wise. 


Ms. Green is not only honest but uses her art to root around to strike that sensitive nerve of all conscious Black people.
"I'm always thinking about race" she says. "I recognize it when I'm the only black person in a room. My white friend will notice I'm the only black person, too. But they don't notice a room full of white people", she states.


Indeed, there are few "safe" spaces and times were Black people do not have to remember who they are, because often their legal freedom and even their very life depends upon this recognition. Trayvon Martin is a case and point, and lets go a little deeper with arbitrary barriers.  On July 27, 1919 a week long race riot was started in Chicago after an Black teenager was drowned in Lake Michigan after being stoned when he floated across an "established" barrier in the water separating the white beach from the black beach. The riot ended after being suppressed by the national guard, leaving 23 Blacks and 15 Whites dead with more than 500 were injured and the homes of 1,000 black families torched.


So I do have a few white friends who I consider more associates, but I notice that when I go to their parties I am the only Black person there and I do consider this a reflection of who they really are past their liberal veneers.


I remain,


Invisible