Black activists say Obama must speak to all races
By DAN SEWELL - 6 hours ago
Issue date: 6/23/08 Section: News
"We don't expect him to be a minister," Walters said in a telephone interview. "He's running to be president. ... What is the nature of your public policy?"
Gwendolyn Baker, here from Grand Prairie, Texas, said she thought Obama's talk about parental responsibility applies to all races.
"It's not just black families," she said. "He's talking about an issue that affects everybody - black families, Hispanic families, white families."
Ronnie Robinson, here for the convention from North Carolina, said he hears some blacks say Obama, son of a white mother and black father, "isn't black enough." Robinson, though, thinks Obama's multiracial background helps him in having a broad appeal.
"He's unique," Robinson said. "He understands both sides."
Some people also understand the politics involved.
"Any candidate has to speak to all the people; they can't afford to speak exclusively to one group," said Dennis Courtland Hayes, the NAACP's interim president and CEO. "I would encourage us all to understand that we are not all going to get what we want. But working together, we can come up with resolutions to problems to get us to where we want to be."
The Baltimore-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is officially nonpartisan. Likely GOP presidential nominee Sen. John McCain plans to speak here Wednesday.
The Arizona Republican plans to talk about education, including expanded merit-pay programs for teachers who improve their students' academic performance.
Walters, the political scientist, said McCain's visit to the convention is a way to say he wants to represent all groups.
"It strikes a good tone," Walters said. "If (McCain) is elected president, he can say, 'I was there, I have an open door.'"
Obama, who drew overwhelming black voter support during Democratic primaries, will find plenty of fans here.
"I think he's speaking to the whole United States," said Bernie Hewett, of Brunswick County, N.C. "He's especially reaching the young voters, black and white, getting them involved."
Alicia Reece, a former Cincinnati city councilwoman, said she hears a lot of enthusiasm about Obama among young blacks, who see his political emergence reflecting positively on a group familiar with negative portrayals.
"A lot of my friends feel there are a lot of Barack Obamas in our community that have never had the opportunity to be showcased like this," she said. "They're very excited about that."
And civil rights veteran Julian Bond, the NACCP board chairman, drew loud applause in a speech Sunday night when he described Obama's candidacy as a milestone.
"The country seems proud, and I know all of us here are, that a candidate campaigning in cities where he could not have stayed in a hotel 40 years ago has won his party's nomination for the nation's highest office," Bond said.
Gwendolyn Baker, here from Grand Prairie, Texas, said she thought Obama's talk about parental responsibility applies to all races.
"It's not just black families," she said. "He's talking about an issue that affects everybody - black families, Hispanic families, white families."
Ronnie Robinson, here for the convention from North Carolina, said he hears some blacks say Obama, son of a white mother and black father, "isn't black enough." Robinson, though, thinks Obama's multiracial background helps him in having a broad appeal.
"He's unique," Robinson said. "He understands both sides."
Some people also understand the politics involved.
"Any candidate has to speak to all the people; they can't afford to speak exclusively to one group," said Dennis Courtland Hayes, the NAACP's interim president and CEO. "I would encourage us all to understand that we are not all going to get what we want. But working together, we can come up with resolutions to problems to get us to where we want to be."
The Baltimore-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is officially nonpartisan. Likely GOP presidential nominee Sen. John McCain plans to speak here Wednesday.
The Arizona Republican plans to talk about education, including expanded merit-pay programs for teachers who improve their students' academic performance.
Walters, the political scientist, said McCain's visit to the convention is a way to say he wants to represent all groups.
"It strikes a good tone," Walters said. "If (McCain) is elected president, he can say, 'I was there, I have an open door.'"
Obama, who drew overwhelming black voter support during Democratic primaries, will find plenty of fans here.
"I think he's speaking to the whole United States," said Bernie Hewett, of Brunswick County, N.C. "He's especially reaching the young voters, black and white, getting them involved."
Alicia Reece, a former Cincinnati city councilwoman, said she hears a lot of enthusiasm about Obama among young blacks, who see his political emergence reflecting positively on a group familiar with negative portrayals.
"A lot of my friends feel there are a lot of Barack Obamas in our community that have never had the opportunity to be showcased like this," she said. "They're very excited about that."
And civil rights veteran Julian Bond, the NACCP board chairman, drew loud applause in a speech Sunday night when he described Obama's candidacy as a milestone.
"The country seems proud, and I know all of us here are, that a candidate campaigning in cities where he could not have stayed in a hotel 40 years ago has won his party's nomination for the nation's highest office," Bond said.
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