Good evening, everyone. I am here to talk about my autobiography that's about to be released, detailing my life, membership in the Original American Defenders, family, cooking and some stories about some of the heroes that i mentored. (Galactic Girl 2, Valiant, Mistery, and Kendrick Hope, to name a few) Ask me anything about my history, other members of the OAD, the people I've dealt with, the ones I've lost and those who've been by my side over this century-long adventure.
No - This isn't a "Obama isn't black/black enough" assertion.
It's a claim that Obama is a glaringly poor representative of the story of the African American rising through society and achieving great goals.
He grew up financially way better off than the average AA does. He inherited several hundreds of thousands of dollars from his white grandparents. And he has no immediate ancestors that were slaves nor the descendants of slaves in the United States.
He's the son of an immigrant from Kenya who, while doubtless faced discrimination of his own, is uniquely different than that of someone who has generational history in the country in which they presently preside.
While it's incredible that an AA was elected to the highest office in a country that has a complicated relationship with race and racism, the impact of such a story is hindered, or at least lessened, when delving into the details of his life.
It's not as inspirational nor glorious as, say, someone like Jesse Jackson winning the 1988 Presidential election in an alternate timeline, or someone else from the AA community that came from far more meager and humbler means.
Now then, being the minority within the minority doesn't render Obama's story illegitimate and unworthy of awe. It's still a watershed moment in American history.
But his childhood and early life stands out in stark contrast to the collective experience of most black people in America. It just does.
James Durham (sometimes incorrectly spelled as "Derham") was born into slavery in 1762 in Pennsylvania. Durham was owned by several doctors, and eventually worked enough in nursing to buy his freedom. He opened a practice in New Orleans which was bringing in over $3000 a year. Durham disappeared from records in 1802, with some believing he became a victim of a lynching. What do you believe happened?
Sources:
http://wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Derham
https://americacomesalive.com/2012/05/03/james-derham-ca-1762-1802-physician/
http://www.philasun.com/diaspora/philadelphias-james-derham-first-black-person-to-practice-medicine-in-the-united-states/
https://journals.psu.edu/pmhb/article/download/43545/43266&sa=U&ei=kztlU6mKMOqr8AHMioH4BQ&ved=0CBsQFjAA&usg=AFQjCNF5TovsqJL15UKHdTugUHtIOJa7aA
The question goes all the way back to the 1800s. What kind of violence did they face? What are some examples of discrimination on a mass scale?
