Can Obama ever connect with young voters of color as much as Jesse Jackson did and stay 'electable' at the same time?
In 1988, Jesse Jackson's Presidential campaign lit the world on fire. Okay, maybe not the whole world, but 20 years ago black neighborhoods from Compton to Columbus were buzzing because of Jackson's historic run for the White House.
At the height of his '88 campaign, Jackson made a stop at the Westlawn Projects, a low-income housing development just blocks from my parents home in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. My father, an elevator mechanic and proud union member, took my seven-year-old younger brother and me to see the civil rights activist. At nine years old, I wasn't able to fully understand what all the hoopla was about. I mean, I watched the news with my parents every night and I knew that Jackson was running for President, but I didn't understand why everyone was so excited.
As we waited for the presidential candidate to show up, you could feel the electricity. All around me, black people -- both young and old -- anxiously waited for an opportunity to get a glimpse of the man who could potentially become the first black president. Not to sound corny, but it was like the scent of hope lingered in the air. For the first time ever many of the folks in the crowd believed that change could come through the electoral process.
Fast forward two decades later and Barack Obama has remixed Jackson's message of "keeping hope alive" for 21st Century audiences. And it's working. All across the country hundreds of young people have dropped out of school, quit their jobs and have joined up with Obama's Hope Express. But while Obama is a more viable candidate then Jackson ever was, many African Americans have been slow to warm up to the freshman Senator from Illinois.
By now we've all seen the attacks by noted black leaders like Congressman John Lewis and BET's Robert Johnson. Of course, some media pundits have ascribed this to hater-ation, but I wouldn't go that far. Actually, it's no secret that many of the nation's most recognizable black leaders have a 20-year relationship with former President Bill Clinton. Who can blame people like Congressman Charles Rangel for not wanting to turn their back on their friend?
But it's not just Clintonites who have been critical of Obama. In a recent radio interview on KPFK, Rosa Clemente a veteran activist and public intellectual criticized his campaign, "Young people are coming out and they're white, I think to sugar-coat it at this point is detrimental to young people of color." (Writer's note: the interview took place before the South Carolina primary in which black youth turned out in force for Obama.)
Clemente isn't alone. Since Obama threw his hat into the race, critics of all backgrounds have questioned whether he would be able to connect with voters of color while also staying "electable." Others, like famed academic Cornell West, have even publicly questioned whether Obama's campaign staff was too white for him to stay relevant amongst black folks.
That's why it is no surprise that many of the Hip-Hop Movement's most influential individuals, including author and activist Bakari Kitwana, believe that Obama's run for the White House has been bittersweet.
"It is the biggest breathe of fresh air that we've seen in a presidential race since Jesse Jackson's campaign in '84 and '88," said Kitwana. "But I'd like to see him do more to reach out to a hip-hop voting block, and develop a more progressive platform across all background, but he's not running as an Independent, he's running as a Democrat."
But it's not just political boundaries that have prevented Obama from getting Jackson-like love in black communities. It's also his timing. By the time Jesse Jackson ran for President he had nearly 20 years of relationships in diverse communities all across the country. As a civil rights and labor activist, Jackson walked with the likes of Martin Luther King Jr. and Cesar Chavez, and was a familiar face to African American voters. Obama, on the other hand, has only been in the national spotlight for four years, hardly enough time to develop organic relationship all across the country.
But according to veteran radio personality and multimedia guru Davey D, young urban activists shouldn't have a closed mind about Obama's campaign. "People can say what they want about Obama, but when I was in South Carolina, young people in the hood were feeling him," says Davey D who spent time in the southern state leading up to Obama's historic victory. "You can't be so cynical that you aren't listening to what the people have to say. Yeah, I have issues with some of the things that Obama's campaign is doing and I want him to be more progressive, but I can't act like I am smarter than the people that vote for him."
Perhaps Davey D is right. Maybe it's all right if Obama doesn't resonate the same way with the Black community that Jackson did. For the first time in history a person of color is poised to become the leader of the free world. And while he may not be running a perfect campaign, Obama is inspiring folks of all backgrounds to believe that real change is possible. Plus, it's hard to believe that little black kids won't have more self-confidence knowing that a person of color is in the White House.
But at the end of the day, it really isn't about any of the candidates. If there's one thing that has become clear to me since Jesse Jackson came to my neighborhood 20 years ago, it's that change doesn't come from elected officials. Time and time again politicians of all backgrounds and identities have proven to be both unaccountable and uninspiring after they've been elected. If change is going to truly happen we have to make sure we turn out to vote while also fighting for the issues that we are most passionate about after the election is over. Because no matter who gets elected, it's up to all of us to "keep hope alive" everyday of our lives.
Rob 'Biko' Baker is a nationally recognized hip hop organizer, journalist and scholar. Biko served as the Deputy Publicity Coordinator and Young Voter Organizer for the Brown and Black Presidential Forum (a nationally televised presidential debate which aired on msnbc). Biko is currently the League of Young Voters Institute Director and he also works with the Campaign Against Violence. Biko is a frequent contributor to The Source and serves on Wiretap's Editorial Board.