After hearing Rev. Dr. Jeremiah Wright’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Day sermon at Howard University’s chapel services, I clearly understood why certain forces in this country don’t want him within 1000 miles of the Obamas as long as they are in the White House.

In a spiritual-based sermon, Rev. Wright inspired, informed and educated the overflow congregation of 1500 plus people in attendance on what should be the true focus of the King birthday celebration. “Sometimes I wonder which is worse - - seeing people seduced by sound bytes or seeing a ministry reduced to sound bytes.” The sound bytes to which he referred were “I Have A Dream” from the March on Washington speech and “I’ve Been to the Mountain Top” from Dr. King’s final speech in Memphis.

Events taking place over the past six months provide valuable teaching tools for African American parents and other concerned folks who are serious about preparing our children for the real world in which they live. It is important to note that the very revealing comments that follow were not made by European American cab drivers, truck drivers or NASCAR fans but by prominent European American Republicans/Conservatives, some of whom are seeking to be their party’s candidate against President Barack Obama in November 2012.

I must state upfront to not being a member of the Obama posse. He most definitely is not above criticism, even harsh criticism, for some of his actions and inactions in both the domestic and international arenas.

Conservatives such as Bill O’Reilly, Sean Hannity, Herman Cain, Laura Ingraham, Gregory Kane, Shelby Steele, Walter Williams, Rush Limbaugh and Ann “Our Blacks are better than their Blacks” Coulter have successfully intimidated many who oppose them by accusing their opponents of “political correctness” and/or “playing the race card.”

Because of my fear of being so labeled I won’t say that a charge of sexual harassment by two blonde white women against Herman Cain has a racial component. After all Cain and his fellow black conservatives insist that race is no longer a meaningful economic, political or cultural factor in this country. This raises a question. If race is no longer a factor why are Cain and his supporters whining about his being the victim of a high-tech lynching? Why would a conservative columnist write a column entitled “The Liberal Lynching of Herman Cain?” Why would a black conservative acquaintance of mine insist that I should support Cain “as a black man.” My response to the latter was that “I am too brainwashed to support Cain. Plus there’s my concern about being considered a promoter of victimhood.

 In January 1992 in a column written for the inaugural issue of Ray Boone’s Richmond Free Press, I listed eleven wishes for Black people in the upcoming year. Regrettably those wishes are still unfilled in 2011.

The 1992 wishes were as follows:

• That we as a people stop trying to claim people who don’t want to be claimed. We are not so lacking in quality people that we have to lay claim on people who regularly insist that they are not Black artists, writers, scholars, etc. but ones who just happen to be Black. It’s time we let such people be what they want to be and call them whatever they want to be called.
• That Black people speak out in a loud voice against those writers, singers, film makers, playwrights and rappers who pass off their crude, sleazy and vulgar products as shining examples of being “Black.” They’re being “American” to sell their creations with crudeness, sleaziness and vulgarity—not being Black.
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