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Introspection Has Been Long Overdue

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JOSEPH H. BROWN

The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 20, 2008

So, has presidential candidate Barack Obama been "talking down to black people" as civil rights icon Jesse Jackson uttered into a "hot mic" on the Fox News Channel? Judging by the enthusiastic response Obama received when he spoke last week before the annual convention of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the answer is no.

"If we're serious about reclaiming that dream, we have to do more in our lives. There's nothing wrong with saying that," he told an estimated 3,000 cheering NAACP members.

Ah, at long last, introspection, something I've been waiting on for about 40 years.

Obama has been accused of having "Cosby moments," a reference to the actor-comedian's nationwide "call outs" where he lectures black Americans about the dysfunctional behavior that is destroying many black communities from within. When Cosby first made such remarks back in 2004, many black scholars dismissed them as a product of elitism and being out of touch with the current generation. Jackson's remarks show Obama is being charged with the same things.

A Sign Of High Maturity

Those uncomfortable with what Obama and Cosby say should know that they are only doing what Martin Luther King advocated in his 1958 book, "Strive For Freedom." In it King wrote:

"Negroes must be honest enough to admit that our standards do often fall short. One of the sure signs of maturity is the ability to rise to the point of self-criticism. Whenever we are objects of criticism from white men, even though the criticisms are maliciously directed and mixed with half truths, we must pick out the elements of truth and make them the basis of creative reconstruction. We must not let the fact that we are victims of injustice lull us into abrogating responsibility for our own lives."

Yes, personal responsibility, even back when legal segregation was in its heyday.

King knew that there is an internal and an external dimension to most problems. He was saying that while fighting the forces that conspired against us for years, there was still a need to turn the mirror on ourselves, look into it and be honest about we see. For far too long, external factors have been used to make excuses for our own internal deficiencies.

Focus On What We Can Control

The black poor are considered by activists as proof of "the unfinished business of the civil rights movement." Well, they can focus on making society care and making it act to help, or they can take the more pragmatic approach, which is maximizing the opportunity all Americans have to change their situation.

Obama is simply saying we need to address the issues we can control. We can certainly influence crime in our communities, high school dropout rates, unwed parenthood and absentee fathers. To believe otherwise is akin to a plantation mentality worse than any during slavery.

"I know some say I've been too tough on folks talking about responsibility," Obama added to his convention remarks. "NAACP, I'm here to report, I'm not going to stop talking about it."

That's good to hear, even if some anachronistic civil right icon wants to, er, cut him down to size.

Joseph H. Brown is a Tribune editorial writer.

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