By
Leroy Jones, Jr.
Political Commentator & Columnist
The soul
of Black America's leadership does not go through any one
man. Clearly there seems to be a need to create the great
Black leader. There is no "one" leader in Black
America. Many people, both male and female are leaders within
the community. Whether by election to public office, national
or international organizations, churches, or by force of nature,
these leaders are standing and fighting for the rights of
our community as well as the entire nation.
Currently
the force of nature is the rise of Senator Barack Obama and
his quest for the Presidency of the United States. The game
and aspirations for African American politicians has now changed.
Never again can either the Democratic or Republican party
claim that you cannot place an African American at the top
of the ticket due to their inability to raise the significant
amounts of money required to compete for any elected office.
That “tired old” excuse is off the table. Senator
Obama has raised over 50 million dollars in a little more
than 6 months. He will be a force both in our community, and
our nation in the foreseeable future.
Even
with all of the positive energy around his endeavors,
there are questions of respect, commitment, and loyalty
about his efforts within the community. His every comment
on the issues of interest to Black Folks are analyzed
and taken apart. Some have come to see him as the "Great
Black Hope". While others not only dispute such
a notion, they question his ethnicity and motivation.
Such comments and thoughts really are not important
to the issues we are now facing.
Even
if Senator Obama is able to win the Democratic nomination
and is elected President, the problems that we face
as a community are not disappearing overnight or anytime
soon. His election would be groundbreaking and inspiring,
but it is only one brick in the wall.
Our
community is searching for answers. The lack of affordable
and adequate healthcare, education of our children,
the overwhelming number of Black males in the criminal
justice system, along with various other problems not
only affect our community, but the country as a whole.
In
2008, the fate of our community both now and in the
future, is on the line. We must demand that these candidates
and our current elected officials have the vision and
commitment needed to improve our world.
Today,
the Great Black Hope is all about our political leadership
having vision and commitment, regardless of party affiliation,
race, or gender to address and solve the problems within
the community.
Leroy
Jones, Jr., creator of PoliticalJones.com is a Political
Commentator and Government Affairs Consultant based
in Washington, D.C. He is the host of "The PoliticalJones
Report with Leroy Jones, Jr." on which airs every
Monday and Thursday on various radio
stations across the country. The PoliticalJones
Report with Leroy Jones, Jr. offers a new voice with
a unique perspective on the major political issues affecting
us today. Mr. Jones is also a regularly scheduled guest
on “The
Right Side with Shelley Wynter" daily radio
show on WAOK-1380 AM (Atlanta/CBS), XM Satellite Radio,
Blacknews.com and various other media outlets.
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