After Dr. Harris-Perry appeared as a
stand in for Rachel Maddow, I wrote a letter to MSNBC urging the cable news
channel to consider giving Dr. Harris-Perry her own show. I gave various reasons for this addition to
the MSNBC “face” of political news/commentary, but the most important plea was
personal. I aspire to one day share the public intellectual space with Dr.
Harris-Perry, and am always in need of evidence that my dreams are
possible. So, you must know that when
Dr. Harris-Perry announced on Twitter (@MelissaHarrisPerry,@MHPShow,and
#Nerdland) that she would be getting her own show, I responded with my own
twitter campaign by encouraging people to watch. While, I realize that my little letter made
no difference in Dr. Harris-Perry getting her show, nor do I know the results
of my twitter campaign to support her, I was glad to see it happen. Every Saturday and Sunday morning I awake
looking forward to the lessons that Dr. Harris-Perry and her panelists share
week after week. Thank you MSNBC and Dr.
Harris-Perry!
Why did I choose to share my thoughts
about the MHP show today? On Sunday,
June 3rd her content reminded me of why I believe Dr. Harris-Perry was fit for
this platform. Whether it was her intention
or not, I believe the show was her breakout effort to provide an affirmative
voice for our President, Barack Obama. I
am a strong supporter of President Obama and am often frustrated with the
discourse surrounding his presidency.
While I agree that we must be critical of his policies, the more vocal
republican message is that he is “destroying our country”. This is not to say that there are not people
who do not publicly recognize his decision making (most notably comedian,
Bill Maher), however the docile democratic method of “truth telling” is
overshadowed by the republican lie. The
reason I appreciated this particular show was because she gave a call to action
that served as a worthy affirmation but critical voice where this voice is often
silent. Her most critical point was that
President Obama’s campaign must begin to play more offense than defense. For a “sports President”, this is something
surely he can relate to and probably considers on a daily basis. Why Coach Obama has not called this play, I
speculate, will be a fourth quarter takeover strategy.
One of the rare voices that we hear in
the 2012 re-election campaign is that we are proud of our president. I take this opportunity to make my statement,
“I am EXTREMELY proud of the job our President is doing”. For the first time in my young life I feel
that my President cares about MY future and I am genuinely invested in being an
informed voter. The MHP show touched
upon several affirmative actions’ President Barack Obama has taken to ensure the
future of this country. For those of you
who did not watch the show, some of these accomplishments included his social,
foreign, and economic policies that move the country toward a more equal
society. The signing of the Lily
Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, GM Bailout, Killing of Osama Bin
Laden and not to mention igniting a national dialogue in support of Same Sex
Marriage only touch the surface of his accomplishments. If you want a more comprehensive list of the
President’s accomplishments…GOOGLE IT!
Two of the most informative portions of
the discussion were the application of policies that impact the black community
and the commentary from the first African American Governor of Virginia and the
nation since Reconstruction, Lawrence Douglas Wilder. One of the greatest lessons that I have
learned through the introduction of President Obama’s leadership is that
something does not have to be labeled “Black” to be in support of black people
and our community’s progress. My
attention was drawn to the 2008 election because of the racial background of
then Senator Obama, but what drives my continued support and desire to learn
more about politics is because of his dedication to family, informed
leadership, defense of our freedom and genuine love for the American people.
It is clear that a conversation about
race is one of the most feared dialogues in American society. This was evident; as Dr. Harris-Perry pointed
out in a speech I heard her give, by the fact that President George Bush
considered Kanye West’s statement that he did not like black people the lowest
point of his presidency. I cannot relate
to people who say “I don’t see race”. The
MHP show not only sees race but is able to articulate effectively how our
President’s accomplishments considers race also. When people do not acknowledge the good work
that the first African American President is doing, it reminds me of the
constant challenge that face people of color in leadership positions. Blaxspectation (yep I made that up!) is REAL
and Black people in the public eye have no room for error! I believe that republicans would want
President Obama out of office regardless of his race, but I do believe that
their hatred for someone who is moving this country forward has some connection
to his ethnic background. More profound
in the discussion of our President’s ethnic background in relationship with
Blaxspectation is not the Republican Party agenda, as we expect them to hate
the president, but mostly is the shift in support of Independent voters who
elected him into office. This is a
discussion that I hope we begin to expound upon in the next five months leading
up to the November election.
The
conversation on the MHP show at least allows some truth and acknowledgement of
success to the progress that President Obama is making toward MY future! So, I say again THANKS DR. MELISSA
HARRIS-PERRY!!!
CALL TO ACTION:
On
Monday, July 2nd at 9am, I encourage us to show support for the
president. I will tweet the below listed
hashtags, and I ask you to TWEET and/or RETWEET, along with me. Let’s not only create a trending topic but
clog the world’s Twitter Time Lines with support for the president. Let our tweets be heard!
I
am calling for this national day of recognition to show our appreciation for President Barack Obama’s service to our country and equal justice for all. I chose this date because it marks the 48th
anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 being signed into law. This law outlawed major forms of
discrimination against African Americans and women, including racial
segregation. This date recognizes the
legislative order that shifted the national consciousness towards right for all
people, and connects the legislative order (LilyLedbetter Fair Pay Act) that
was amended by President Barak Obama as his first federal statute signed into
law after his inauguration.
On Monday, July
2nd, 2012 please Tweet and RETWEET the following!
#PROUDOFMYPRESIDENT
#ISTANDWITHTHEPRESIDENT
#THANKYOUMRPRESIDENT
#REELECTPRESIDENTOBAMA2012
#AFRICANAMERICANSFORPRESIDENTOBAMA
(or your ethnicity of choice)
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