On August 10, 2008, the New York Times online edition published an article entitled “Is Obama the End of Black Politics?” The article, often peppered with anecdotally incoherent non sequiturs, asserted that African American politicians of Obama’s generation symbolize an end of the “Black Power” politician. The writer, Matt Bai, suggested that the archetypal “Black Power” politician could be discerned by his role as a “deft conjurer of America’s racial demons.” He also blithely asserted that Obama’s candidacy exposed a larger generational rift between Black politicians who ascended to power “post-civil-rights,” and those “who rose to political power in the years (immediately) after the civil rights” and “came almost entirely from the pulpit and the movement.”

Conjuring False Dichotomies

MBN does not wish to explore all the internal inconsistencies in Mr. Bai’s article. However, the founders of MBN are compelled to note that the article conjured images of false dichotomies and dissensions. It attempted to divide based on age (civil rights generation versus post civil rights), class (upper middle-class versus working poor), education (Ivy League versus seminary), and political organization (relatively new social media networks versus the NAACP). The meta message of the article was that young, upwardly mobile, well-educated, Web 2.0 savvy Blacks offer proof of the obsolescence of Civil Rights Movement in general, and the political leadership that rose from it in particular. Mr. Bai eagerly welcomed the emergence of a new “postracial” political Eden.

Struggle for Civil Rights Continues

The founders of MBN ponder the color of the sky in Mr. Bai’s new post racial Eden; undoubtedly rose-colored. MBN cites the statistics below as sobering evidence that the Civil Rights Movement continues to be as relevant as ever.

· According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), as of the end of August 2008, Black unemployment stood at 10.6% for Blacks aged 16 and over compared to just 5.4% for Whites aged 16 and over. The unemployment rate for Black men alone in the same age group was 10.8% compared to just 5.2% for White men alone.

· According the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) Reporter, Volume 1, 2008, “65 percent of blacks and Hispanics leave school with a high school diploma, and minority graduation rates are still substantially below the rates for non-Hispanic whites. Contrary to estimates based on the status completion [NCES] rate, we find no evidence of convergence in minority-majority graduation rate. Exclusion of incarcerated populations from some measures greatly biases the reported high school graduation rate for blacks.”

· According to the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), in an article written by Algernon Austin on June 11, 2008, entitled “ Subprime mortgages are nearly double for Hispanics and African Americans” the writer cited “[A]n analysis by the Center for Responsible Lending found that even after taking into account individual credit scores and other characteristics, Hispanic and African American borrowers were more than 30% more likely to receive higher-rate subprime loans. ^3” In a similar article entitled “The Subprime Swindle,” written by Kai Wright and published in The Nation on June 26, 2008, it was observed that “the ‘mortgage meltdown’ looks less like a market hiccup than a massive strip mining of hard-won wealth, a devastating loss that will betray the promise of class mobility for tens of thousands of black families.”

· According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study entitled “Subpopulation Estimates from the HIV Incidence Surveillance System-United States 2006,” published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report on September 12, 2008, “[ O]f the estimated 54,230 new HIV infections in 2006, 46 percent occurred among blacks, though blacks constitute about 12 percent of the US population.” The incidence rate among Black males was 5.9 times that among White males, and the incidence rate among Black females was 14.7 times the rate among White females.

A Unified Call and Response

MBN believes that it is obvious from the facts cited that the civil rights struggle, at all times a human rights struggle, continues to present unique challenges for Blacks. For this reason, MBN is declaring November 3rd, 2008 as the 1 ^st Annual MyBlack Unity Day. MBN is soliciting all conscientious people, especially Blacks, to observe the day by engaging in an activity that serves to uplift the Black community. Consider joining or renewing a membership with the NAACP. Make a donation to the local chapter of the National Urban League. Volunteer your time at a local food bank or give blood to a local blood bank. Perhaps you could make an effort to support a local Black business. The activity is really only limited by your imagination. Enlist a group of friends and/or relatives to participate in an activity. Working as a group reinforces the message that we are a unified community. Whatever activity you choose, please email MBN at myblackunityday@myblacknetworks.com and let us know how you demonstrated your unity on the day. The founders of MBN intend to volunteer their time with the local campaign office for Barack Obama.

MBN is in the process of developing a site at www.myblackunityday.com . On November 4 ^th we will begin posting your messages to the site in order to let the world know that regardless of the outcome of the presidential election, Blacks are unified, the Movement has evolved, but not ended, and victory has already been secured. Thank you and God Bless.