Does race and the presidency matter?                             

Obama’s competitive run brings examination

By ERIN THOMPSON

February 10, 2008

HAMPTON, Va. – A year ago they were scoffing, a chorus incredulous to the notion that there could ever be an African-American running things. And now, even with America facing a milestone, with the first black man as a presidential frontrunner, and the chorus continues.

“He isn’t black enough,” the choir sings.

“He’ll be killed within a month,” it resounds.

“He’s clearly got the black vote,” the singers croon.

Ironically, as the nation celebrates Black History Month, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., is creating history. But just how big a part does race play in all this?

Are citizens voting or basing their votes for Obama simply on the fact that he’s black, or are they looking beyond the surface?

            “Honestly,” says Malcolm Jamal King, a junior English major at Hampton University, “I feel that saying that most African-Americans will vote for Obama just because he is black, is as valid as assuming that most of America will vote against Obama simply because he isn’t white.”

“Just because it’s ideal to want to believe that race won’t be an issue in 2008, it just isn’t so,” says Leigh Scott, an HU sophomore and psychology major. “And it’s absurd to think otherwise.”

“Yes, America is technically a nation built on freedom and equality,” says King, “but it was also built on the backs of African-Americans. This country has been ravaged by discrimination, intolerance, hypocrisy and segregation.”

While a number of Hampton University students interviewed express a certain aggravation about being placed under an umbrella that because Obama’s black, African-Americans are going to vote for him, the students still can’t ignore the fact that this could be the opportunity “to steal a little piece of history from white America,” says Moses Wilson, a junior political science major.              

“For me, Obama being black is just a plus,” Wilson continued. “I know all the sides, all the positions and all the issues, so my vote isn’t about color; I truly believe Obama is the right man for the job.”

“Right now,” says Scott, I’m still considering all the options, but when I make my decision, it’ll be what’s right for me.”

Regardless of the outcome, this year’s election is going to be history in the making. Although the influence of race is indisputably a factor, with hope, it will not be the only one.

Thompson is a junior at the Hampton University Scripps Howard School of Journalism and Communications, www.hamptonu.edu/shsjc/