Who owns “Black”

Really, is anyone other than Tavis Smiley talking about poverty in America? See, the Poverty Tour  http://www.povertytour.smileyandwest.com/   Even President Obama only started saying Amen while he attempts to co-opt “Occupy Wall Street” in his bid to stay in the White House. The War on Poverty which was launched in 1964 has failed miserably. Here are some stats from the National Poverty Center:

Poverty rates for blacks and Hispanics greatly exceed the national average. In 2010, 27.4 percent of blacks and 26.6 percent of Hispanics were poor, compared to 9.9 percent of non-Hispanic whites and 12.1 percent of Asians.

Poverty rates are highest for families headed by single women, particularly if they are black or Hispanic. In 2010, 31.6 percent of households headed by single women were poor, while 15.8 percent of households headed by single men and 6.2 percent of married-couple households lived in poverty.    http://www.npc.umich.edu/poverty/

According to the National Poverty Center, the poverty rates for children are staggering:

 So moi was a bit surprised to read two recent articles which aimed their venom directly at GOP candidate, Herman Cain. Sandhya Somashekhar, writes in the Washington Post  article, For Herman Cain, no steering clear of race:    

Some African Americans have bristled at his tone, saying he is denigrating his race. Particularly controversial were his statements that many blacks were “brainwashed” into supporting the Democratic Party and that he did not believe that racism in this country still “holds anybody back in a big way.” 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/for-herman-cain-no-steering-clear-of-race/2011/10/17/gIQAdNkN4L_story.html

Still another article by Touré at Time blogs states, Is Herman Cain the Most Unctuous Black Man Alive? Why the Hermanator experience is making me sick.  http://ideas.time.com/2011/10/20/is-herman-cain-the-most-unctuous-black-man-alive/

What exactly is the hub bub about? For many years pols and others went to an anointed few to find out exactly what Black folks were thinking. There were always the Jacksons and the Sharptons that told folks what Black folks were thinking and told Black folks how they were supposed to vote. This system delivered big for establishment pols. Question? Given the stats from the National Center on Poverty, how’s that system been working for you, for me, or for anyone for that matter? One does not have to agree with Herman Cain to say that he has as much right as anyone to advance his ideas and question the status quo.

So, who owns “Black?” No one. No group. Just as those who acknowledge their African roots may have skin tones which range from ivory to ebony, yet all claim to be Black.  Black folks can have opinions which range from Tea Party to let’s tear this “mother” down.

All are Black with reason to be proud of a common heritage.

Dr. Wilda says this about that ©

Tags: African American, Black, Group Think, Herman Cain