By Kevin Palmer
Barack Obama epitomized the Black leader illusion. “At the end of his presidency, Black people were in the same state they were before he was elevated to the highest office in the land,” observed Dr. Claud Anderson in his book, A Black History Reader. Moreover, “Most visible Blacks do not equate to Black leaders. They are double agents who intentionally represent everyone” as an excuse to ignore the Black masses.
According to Anderson, “In politics, the detachment of Black elected officials gives them latitude to promise nothing and deliver nothing to the Black electorate which continually votes for them as a bloc. Electing Blacks to public office therefore has made no measurable difference in the quality of life for Black Americans or the status quo in racial disparities. Blacks have received no tangible benefits for their vote, such as increased business ownership, improved housing, functional schools, wealth, income and political power.”
He continued, “Most Blacks recognized by the general public as leaders are simply tools [gatekeepers] that the White over class uses to keep the Black masses placated and Black neighborhoods under control – noncompetitive and powerless. Whites will allow them to appear in [mainstream] print and electronic media to support or discuss non-Black issues. They will boast about racial progress and minority political alliances to justify their appeal to White society for financial support. Sadly, at the same time, the Black masses will sink further in-to a permanent underclass stat-us.”
