Not Black Enough

I'm always amazed at the things that are said and done in the black community especially when it comes to supporting one of our own. You would think that given our history we would support one another based on the facts or simply agree to disagree. Now don't get me wrong, I don't think we should simply support each other on the basis of skin color but at some point we have to give each other the benefit of the doubt that we can actually think and lead other blacks without being accused of "acting white," not being "black enough," or simply being too uppity. To suggest these things flies in the face of our rich history. Unfortunately, the people of Newark NJ feel just the opposite and are calling for a recall of Mayor Cory Booker.

In a recent article Booker has come under attack by constituents accusing him of being an outsider, not black enough and intimations of his sexual orientation. And are these rumors coming from racist whites? No! They are coming from the same people who saw him a year ago as someone who could save Newark. While offering no facts, blacks are calling for a recall of the mayor. It seems that his "light skin" and graduation from Stanford and Yale are factors playing against him. So much for Dr. King's dream of blacks being judged by the content of their character and not by the color of their skin.

I have often said that blacks have no fear from racist whites when they do such a good job of keeping each other back on the plantation.