DiversityInc - January/February 2009

civil rights has broadened to more than just race. Dr. King’s legacy has continued to live on because now people are saying, “‘Civil rights’ now includes me.”

QSome have deemed President Obama the Martin Luther King Jr. of this generation. Is that a fair comparison or is President Obama his own man, in his own right, who will chart his own course?

APresident Obama is a leader in his own right. He is a leader all Americans can look up to with pride. The difference is President Obama was elected by the people. Dr. King was appointed by the

people may have, that a Black person can’t be smart or only got his or her job through affirmative action, etc. This also enhances diversity because it provides an opportunity for people who’ve never interacted or been exposed to people of African descent or people of color. It’s a little hard not to be exposed now that the president and first family are [Black]. Interaction often changes perception and behavior.

QAccording to the Pew Center on the States, 1 in every 36 Black men in America is incarcerated. That number jumps 40 percent when looking at Black men

uating generations of financially illiterate people. Do you agree with this statement?

AFirst, it’s not fair to lump all Black people together. People do the best they can with what they have. It’s also about social networking and family networking, and it takes a village. You need role models and family who can help you visualize what your options [are] and who can help you make the right decision. The only time you have failed is when you have what you need and you don’t use it, or if you don’t take time to figure out what you need and try to get it.

The election of President Obama has already shown that one can
become president because he or she is the best person to be president,
and race is not a bar.

DR. STEPHANIE BUSH-BASKETTE

people. The election of President Obama in comparison to Dr. King is certainly the next step, but it’s more than just a step; it’s the outcome of Dr. King’s hard work.

between the ages of 20 and 34. What does this say about the current state of Blacks in America?

QIn “Is Bill Cosby Right?” by Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, Dyson says: “Perhaps [Bill] Cosby has forgotten what it was like to be young, Black and poor, or to be hungry for even more capital in the wake of a real first taste of money and the comforts it can bring.” Do you agree with this statement? Do you find this true of other Black “cultural critics”?

QSome have suggested that racial barriers have come down with the election of President Obama. What is your take on that?

AI think it’s too soon to tell. The election of President Obama has already shown that one can become president because he or she is the best person to be president, and race is not a bar. I don’t see it as “He was elected because he was Black,” but I see it as “He was the best person and race didn’t stand in his way.” And what that does is it begins to chip away some of the stereotypical notions that

AThis has been a statistic for a couple of decades, since the war on drugs. But now we need to look, as [has] been done in the past, at the systematic issues that have kept these numbers stagnant. The issue regarding Black males is a major issue, but it’s equally important to realize that the vast number of incarcerations are among Black and Hispanic women. If Blacks are only 12 percent of the population, they are disproportionately represented in prisons.

AWell, this depends on who you are talking to. But what is important is the need for all Americans, including young, Black, poor, middle class and even rich ( someone who was rich yesterday may not be rich today given the economic crisis). What doesn’t help is drawing analogies that compare struggles.