It’s one thing to assume a “post-racial” posture if the society is, in fact, post-racial. Or if you are speaking wishfully and prospectively.

But when the gaping disparities between whites and non-whites continue – even at this late date in our history, even with a black man in the Oval Office, even as the populace grows blacker and browner by the day – declaring this a “post-racial” era seems post traumatic.

I don’t think it’s unfair to say that black Americans had hoped, if not assumed, that the advent of a black president would usher in a long-overdue focus on and sensitivity to black pain and struggle.

At long last, someone who “got it” would preside over the nation and see to it that law, policy and maybe even sensibilities would be considerate of people who had not been invited to the social and economic parties of the 1980s and 1990s, when the American middle class and the wealthy both enjoyed off-the-chart boons.

These are the people, primarily African-American or Latino, who have been stalked by double-digit unemployment perpetually, though the alarms just started sounding when the national figure – meaning white folks included – reached 10 percent.

These are the ones with the lowest household incomes, the lowest high school and college graduation rates, the lowest home ownership rates, the lowest life expectancies, highest incarceration rates, the highest single parent household rates.

These are the folks you don’t see when the local news does stories about hurricanes wrecking yachts at the marina. They are lucky to have ever been in a bass boat.

They are the ones who don’t know Euro from Uno because they don’t travel abroad. Many have never left their home counties.

You didn’t see people like them in that sad number conned by Bernie Madoff since they never had any extra money laying around for things like investments, legit or not. Their only danger was the smiling predatory lender who charged them obscenely exorbitant interest rates on little fixer-uppers that were upside down from the get-go.

They are not having nanny troubles or sweating the see-sawing stock market or worrying about their child’s position on the private school waitlist. Rather, they fret over their son being profiled on a trip to the mall or their daughter being denied a job because she wears cornrows, and the only stock prices on their minds involves a can in the soup aisle of the grocery store.

Is it society’s fault? Not in every case, certainly. Personal failures – laziness, blown opportunities, a lack of priorities, the pleasure principle, misbegotten values - might, in any single instance, be at play.

But the demographic norms suggest that this goes way beyond personal responsibility and lands at the feet of public policy. In other words, there’s a system afoot, and it has historically, continually and currently made life-altering opportunities either extraordinarily difficult to attain or altogether absent for certain people.

You know who I mean.

And so does the president of the United States, whether he publicly acknowledges it or not.

Lately, black political leaders have begun taking Mr. Obama to task for his negligence in addressing the color line. In a recent statement, the Congressional Black Caucus demanded that “policy for the least of these must be integrated into everything that we do.”

No doubt, visions of re-election are dancing in the president’s head, and we cannot begrudge him a certain cautiousness about subjects that tend to alienate voters.

But Barack Obama is a smart man. And, I still believe, a conscientious man. Surely he will not allow this bird in the hand to slip away for want of another in the bush. It has taken .....

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WhatIThink, a black issue is an issue that applies to black folks only. If a black man and a white man needs work, that's a human issue. But the difference is, the white man will get the job first because he is white and in the white majority culture, they are the superior race. Which means that the white man got the job because of racism.

by   
Jobear58
December 16, 2009, 11:10 pm
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Will somebody tell me please, WTF is a "Black Issue"? And how are they/it, distinguishable from "non-black issues"? A black man and a white man in need of work have the same issue; so to it is with a white and Asian woman in need of health insurance. This is silly; black folk don't have any unique issues that require federal intervention to solve. Indeed, most problems people (black/otherwise) face daily are organically grown, and require organic/local solutions to resolve. The sooner folk (black/otherwise) realize that, the better all will be.

by   
WhatIThink
December 15, 2009, 3:20 pm
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My good black people. Here is some advice on the way I have handled this "there’s a system afoot"
as Ms. Mathis says. First. Get as much education as you can. Because this is one component that seperates you from many whites---opportunity.
Second. Pay attention at how they are stealing your rights from you. Us blacks are paying attention to the wrong things. Third. Know your jobs and do it as well as you can. Fourth. Be ready to sue anyone who is discriminating against you. Stand up to them. Stand on your rights.

by   
Glatham
December 15, 2009, 9:27 am
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EQUAL not SPECIAL treatment and****istance in the ways of fairness we can't provide with the problems we have no control over.

by   
Msstarr82
December 15, 2009, 5:27 am
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unemployment triple whites; schools collaspsing in buildings and teacher quality; neighborhoods unsafe due to crime,drugs, and toxic dumps; red lining at banks preventing small business success; foreclosers of homes due to job loss or total nonexsistance; legal system injustices; prenatal undercare; medical mistreatment; lack of funds for college educations and then a white male criminal gets the job before a NON criminal BLACK male. these are just a few items of the institutional racisim problems that OBAMA can contribute wisdom and justice to, for a segment of his citizens.

by   
Msstarr82
December 15, 2009, 5:19 am
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thank you glatham and jobear58 for understanding my POV. i was NOT expressing the fantasy that OBAMA could or should solve AA's problems all by himself, as if he could. however when "institutional racisim" allows the continuation of AA's being at the bottom of the list when it comes to the needs and rights of our community, i believed an "AA community advisor" would be unable to ignore all the ways in which AA's do NOT receive their just due.

by   
Msstarr82
December 15, 2009, 5:07 am
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No, most issues concerning black people are not being address! Why? For the most part, black people have not been doing a damn thing, but talking about it. And that includes black people who are in leadership positions to protect black folk's issues. White people treat black people the way they do because black people have been allowing them to. Most black people thinks that there is nothing that can be done. But if black people stand their ground, stick together, and hit those fools where it really counts, such as in white folk's wallet and bank account, you'll get their attention!!

by   
Jobear58
December 14, 2009, 10:48 pm
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I am a black man who has done everything right that I am supposed to. I have gotten a 4-year college degree. I work in the IT field. I work part-time in real estate. I own a home that is not in trouble. I rarely miss days at work. I know my job and I do it well. But, I still had to file a discrimination case against my employer because they wanted me to be subservient in an undignified manner. Whites are sneaky and deny us our rights.

by   
Glatham
December 14, 2009, 4:32 pm
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Finally, Ms. Mathis, you are someone who has hit the nail on the head for black folks. Especially, when you say "there’s a system afoot" I filed a job discrimination case in federal court and found that these courts are dismissing these cases filed by blacks and other minorities at a rate of 98%. When whites are in charge of enforcing discrimination laws, there is hardly any justice for blacks.

by   
Glatham
December 14, 2009, 4:23 pm
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We complain more than anyone else, are we preparing ourselves for the jobs that are out there? Other minorities in Houston are sure taking advantage of all the construction work that is going on. I mentioned to a young brother in Dallas to apply for a construction job, he said I am an electrician, I will not risk getting hurt like that. Come on people, love ya, but we need to stop complaining and get off of our behinds and do something about it.

by   
Trisha1975
December 14, 2009, 3:44 pm
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I don't understand the expectation that just because the President is Black he has some kind of obligation to deal with "Black issues"? I understand 'hope' and 'wishful thinking', but what has he ever done or said that would lead one to actually project an expectation on him that he specifically target and fix 'Black issues', then want to put him on blast for not doing so?
If he had EVER said that's what he intended to do I could understand. But he has never made such a claim. So why do people, such as yourself, believe it is incumbent on him to do so?

And do you really think that's fair?

by   
EbonyRose2
December 14, 2009, 2:46 pm
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Obama cant solve Black problems, Black people can only do tht. We are behind the 8 ball , but how do u get around the 8 ball by applyin yourself making sure u get involve in your kids education early keep them out the streets. Obama cant sit in the oval office and address black issues do u know how that would look , u guys such idiots.. I got some advice for all youn gpeople Stay yo azz in school.

by   
Milkkman
December 14, 2009, 2:45 pm
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Blacks like other groups MUST WORK TOGETHER ,seize and make opportunities for each other. We must create our own jobs while taking advantage of programs that promote employment. We must learn to spend more of our funds with those who hire us and not depend on Mr. Obama.

by   
SPF
December 14, 2009, 2:13 pm
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Ms Mathis I know you know this already, but we gotta keep reminding ourselves sister, God has had and will continue to have a plan which will be carried out according to HIS will.

We AINT SUPPOSED to ask for Obama or ANY MAN to hear nothing from us when we have our Creator up above - a Creator who delivered black men from torture and black women from incessant rape.

Please please stop this begging-type language when talking about Obama and the issues within our community.

by   
A_day_in_the_life
December 14, 2009, 1:44 pm
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To focus on blacks would be detrimental to his legacy. I think a lot of black groups want to simply take advantage of this brief period in history to "bilk" the government of as much as it can before it is over in 2012. President Obama, please ignore these fools!

by   
Dkg316
December 14, 2009, 11:59 am
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The inability to understand the nature of the presidency is indicative of myopic thinking. Again, he is the president of the united states. We cannot honestly expect him, in these difficult times, to allocate taxpayers money to one group of people. We also have latinos, asians, indians, handicapped, blind, gay, etc that have needs.

by   
Dkg316
December 14, 2009, 11:58 am
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ms mathis can you imagine the president of the unite dstates addressing the nation and saying:we will pass an economic bill to benefit jobless black americans? it is not going to happen

by   
Spercy
December 14, 2009, 9:52 am
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Speaking for BLACK PEOPLE!!!!! Not people of color, browner, latino, and colorline like it sez in the article. During the last election, Black people supported Obama but ask for anything in return like other groups do. What are our Black issues? Seems to me, the issues I hear Blacks talk about are too general like the economy, that affects all people.

by   
Chris40
December 14, 2009, 9:27 am
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I don't think that he's been negligent on this, but they might have been slow. Now Ms. Mathis, i give you credit for being smarter than some who shame him because he is black and not being black in what he does. Congresswoman Waters should not only look at the president, but the people she work with at the Capitol (particularly those who are called 'Blue Dogs') because the President can ask for whatever he wants, but if Congress doesn't approve it, it's not going to become law.

by   
Myster88
December 14, 2009, 9:13 am
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Where do Obama's kids go to school? With wealthy white kids. We've been hoodwinked again peeps, this time by someone posing as us. Obama has been a huge disappointment.

by   
Jiggy5
December 14, 2009, 8:05 am
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Where do Obama's kids go to school? With wealthy white kids. We've been hoodwinked again peeps, this time by someone posing as us. Obama has been a huge disappointment.

by   
Jiggy5
December 14, 2009, 8:05 am
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Where do Obama's kids go to school? With wealthy white kids. We've been hoodwinked again peeps, this time by someone posing as us. Obama has been a huge disappointment.

by   
Jiggy5
December 14, 2009, 8:04 am
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i agree with every word. so much so that i am furious at the president. to the point of personally helping him to seek a second term since he is ignoring AA's just as all the previous presidents have. he said, " a president has to be able to do more than one thing at a time". THUS HE SHOULD!!
i didn't vote for his skin color but i did vote for his attitude and PROMISE of CHANGE!! i believed then and now that a great AND BEST place to start is INSTITUTIONAL RACISIM by someone with AA children.

by   
Msstarr82
December 14, 2009, 6:18 am
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