The District Chronicles

Issue date: 2/8/09 Section: Cover

"Hello. My Name is Freida. I am a 52-years-young black female that had three strokes and [I am] doing fine right now. I am a full-time, stay-at-home artist … I have sent you a copy of my hero, Sir Barackster. I created him on Nov. 1st because I felt he would be the hero."

Those are the words of Freida Thompson of Manalapan, N.J., in a letter to the editor of the NNPA News Service.

"I really, really, really want him to take care of the health issue," Thompson said in a phone interview this week. " If there was one thing she would ask of President Barack Obama, it would be "free health care."

From health care to civil rights, jobs and equal justice, Thompson's sentiments reflect those of millions of Blacks and other Americans around the nation who know that Obama - arguably America's most inspirational president - will be limited in his ability to do everything. Yet, many hope that because of his Black experience and identification with struggle, his priorities might distinguish him from White presidents of the past.

Are Blacks expecting too much of the new president? That depends on who's being asked:

"Expecting a lot from him is a good thing," said Hilary Shelton, director of the Washington Bureau of the NAACP, who monitors and lobbies for Capitol Hill legislation on behalf of Black people. "The expectations should be high. A lot of promises were also made by the candidate and now the President. And holding him to that is important, but ... we must all get engaged in helping to fix these problems," Shelton said.

Thomas Todd studied the question from a different direction.

"Nowhere in the campaign did he really promise to handle the Black agenda - nowhere," said Todd, a Chicago-based, retired U. S. attorney, known for his impassioned speeches. "I think Blacks have allowed themselves to get caught up in the euphoria and the celebration and that probably is not realistic.''

Blacks are indeed expecting a great deal of Obama, as indicated by the USA Today survey released a few days before the historic inauguration showing that 79 percent of Blacks believe that Martin Luther King's Dream has been realized through the election of Obama.

''There's been all sorts of wild statements, such as that we do not need Black Civil Rights leaders any more, we do not need Black organizations such as the NAACP any more, and while Whites have been the main perpetrators of these views, some Blacks have bought in to them as well,'' said Dr. Ron Walters, political scientist at the University of Maryland. ''There has been considerable Transition Committee activity with Black organizations that have put forth agenda items before it, expecting that there will be some action on them as he also tackles the major issues confronting the country. So, there are strong expectations ....''

Continued...

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