Anderson@Large

Presidents’ Day 2018

I am a museum lover. Before the opening of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the National Portrait Gallery was my favorite Smithsonian museum. It’s now my second museum. When Barack Obama won the 2008 election, I thought that he will be included in the pantheon of American Presidents.

President Obama’s portrait was unveiled last week.

In an email, Obama wrote:

Today, Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald became the first black artists to create official, Smithsonian-commissioned portraits of a former President and First Lady.

And Michelle and I joined our distinguished predecessors and thousands of our fellow Americans on the walls of the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery.

To call this experience humbling would be an understatement.

That’s because, as a former president, when you choose an artist to describe your likeness, you have the opportunity to shape, quite literally, how someone sees the office of the American presidency. And how they might see themselves in that presidency.

[…]

The arts have always been central to the American experience. They provoke thought, challenge our assumptions, and shape how we define our narrative as a country.

Thanks to Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald, generations of Americans — and young people from all around the world — will visit the National Portrait Gallery and see this country through a new lens. These works upend the notion that there are worlds where African Americans belong and worlds where we don’t. And that’s something Michelle and I hope we contributed to over the eight years we were so privileged to serve you from the White House.

Michelle Obama’s portrait will join the collection of First Ladies.

In case you missed it, check out “Obama Portrait Unveiling at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery.”

Yo, Corbett Administration Still Lying

The Corbett Administration has invoked the specious allegation of “voter intimidation” by the New Black Panthers as a pretext for not turning over documents in Pennsylvania’s voter suppression by voter ID scheme.

In a letter to the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, Pennsylvania General Counsel James Schultz wrote:

Upon my initial review of your letter, I was optimistic that surely your inquiry marked the long overdue renewal of the Department of Justice’s previously abandoned review of the 2008 voter intimidation case in Philly, a review that would be particularly well-timed in this presidential election year, as I trust Attorney General Holder and the Department of Justice share the Commonwealth’s commitment to ensuring that no violation of the voting rights of Pennsylvanians be tolerated. Unfortunately, my optimism proved unwarranted as I read your letter and learned that you are requesting information “concerning Pennsylvania’s compliance with Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.”

The minor incident involving three knuckleheads was captured on video on Election Day 2008, It has since been played in an endless loop by Fox News. Unfortunately, there’s no countervailing data to rebut the Big Lie of voter intimidation.

But this time, we’ll be ready for them. I am developing an app, Yo! Philly Votes, that will aggregate and visualize multiple sources of real-time Election Day incident reports. Using software developed by Jon Gosier, we’ll be able to contextualize the sources of reports.

If Yo! Philly Votes had been around in 2008, we would have real-time data that the eyewitness to the incident, Chris Hill,a Republican activist, was at the polling place for an hour and did not see any voters turned away. There were no other reports of voter intimidation.  If the source of the incident report had been considered, the bogus story would have remained just that – bogus. Instead, made-for-Fox-News story became a justification for election law changes that have been enacted across the country, including Pennsylvania's restrictive voter ID law.

For more information, visit Facebook.com/PhillyVotes or follow us on Twitter: @215votes.

What About Black Women Leaders

It is hot as hell in DC. It is even hotter under the collars of some African American women who are asking: Are we not civil rights leaders?

The women were set off by the news that President Obama was scheduled to meet with the leaders of two civil rights organizations – National Urban League President Marc Morial and NAACP President Benjamin Jealous. A readout of the meeting said "the President discussed the continued efforts his administration is making to spur job creation and economic growth."

The readout noted:

The President also reiterated that reducing unemployment, which disproportionately burdens the African-American community at 16.2%, remains a top priority for him and his Administration. The President also spoke with the two civil rights leaders about dramatic efforts his Administration has already made to address urban economic development through initiatives such as Strong Cities, Strong Communities, a program that acts to spur economic growth in urban centers while ensuring taxpayer dollars are used wisely and efficiently; the Treasury Department’s Community Development Financial Institutions fund; and the Minority Business Development Agency at the Department of Commerce.

This is the second time in two years that Obama has held a meeting with civil rights leaders and no black woman had a seat at the table.

In February 2010, the late Dr. Dorothy I. Height was the only black woman invited to the Urban Economy Summit. The then-97-year-old could not attend because of the extreme snow conditions.

There was extreme heat yesterday, but black women leaders felt a cold chill when they realized history was repeating itself. While they're not ready to go on the record, they told me they won't be silent much longer. They have earned a seat at the table. More important, they want to ensure issues of importance to black women and black families are addressed.

And lest the knee-jerk “hater” is bandied about, these are women who year-after-year -- election-after-election -- make things happen. All they're asking for is a little respect.

Race Relations in the Age of Obama

Two new polls show race still matters.

A Zogby Interactive poll found that 45 percent of likely voters say race relations “have worsened over the two years that Barack Obama has been president.” Thirty-seven percent say there is “no difference”; a mere 13 percent believe race relations have improved.

Similarly, a Washington Post poll found that 35 percent think race relations have improved in the Age of Obama, down from 58 percent in January 2009. Fifty-one percent of black Americans say Obama has helped race relations, down from 75 percent on Inauguration Day.

There is a racial gap in whether African Americans overall have moved on up. The Post reports:

Almost half of whites say that blacks have achieved racial parity, up significantly since Obama's inauguration two years ago. By contrast, views among African Americans have barely budged since Obama took office: Just 19 percent of blacks now see a level playing field. Then, as now, about half say racial equality either won't be achieved in their lifetimes or never will be.

[…]

In January 2009, most whites also anticipated Obama's bringing about a thaw in race relations; fewer than one in three now sees such progress. Among whites, 47 percent say racial equality has been achieved, up nine points over the two years.

Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose. The more things change, the more they remain the same.

Power of the Sister Vote’s Bottom Line

Yesterday, I moderated the Power of the Sister Vote post-election briefing. I will post a report of the event in the coming days.

Right now, I want to share one of the takeaways: Show black women the money.

The defunding of black voter empowerment and election protection groups remains a sore point. I asked the panelists whether they had been invited to attend the meeting of the Democracy Alliance.

The silence was deafening.

Democracy Alliance is a group of major donors whose mission is to “build progressive infrastructure that could help counter the well-funded and sophisticated conservative apparatus in the areas of civic engagement, leadership, media, and ideas.”

It bears repeating that black voter empowerment groups, most of which are led by black women, are responsible for closing the racial gap in voter registration and turnout.

As Rep. Barbara Lee, chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, observed:

We never would have come this far without black women.

Indeed, black women had the highest turnout rate in the 2008 election.

A new report by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, “Blacks and the 2010 Midterms: A Preliminary Analysis,” found that “the black vote in 2010 was three-to-two female to male as has been the case in many recent elections” (emphasis added).

So, you can imagine my dismay when I read the Democracy Alliance reportedly is looking to “shuffle funds into a progressive infrastructure that will take on the tasks that the president can’t or won’t take on.”

The Huffington Post reports that Anna Burger said:

People are determined to help build a progressive infrastructure and make sure it is there not just in the months ahead but one that will last in the long term. Instead of being pushed over by this election it has empowered people to stand up in a bigger way.

Black women are also empowered. They will not be pushed aside or settle for scraps. Instead, they will demand a seat at the table.

Major donors must be mindful that no Democrat -- progressive, moderate or the flavor of the month -- can win without the support of black women voters.

That’s the sisters’ bottom line.

Our President Needs You

Twenty-two months into his presidency, Barack Obama has become the President of Black America.

In an ad playing on black radio stations, Obama says:

This is Barack Obama.

Two years ago, you voted in record numbers, and we won a victory few dreamed possible.

I know so many across the country are hurting and think change isn’t happening fast enough.

That's why we’ve fought so hard to repair the economic mess we were handed to begin putting people back to work.

Reducing health care costs and stopping insurance company discrimination.

Reforming education so it works for every child. Investing in programs to keep them off the streets.

But now, that’s all at stake.

The same Republicans who’ve fought against change are pushing the same plan that crashed our economy -- tax cuts for millionaires; deep cuts to education; repealing health care reform. We can’t afford to go back.

On November 2, I need you to stand with me and vote.

The ad makes no mention of the chronic joblessness or rising foreclosures in the African American. Still, “vote for me and I'll set you free.”

Don’t Mess with Bill Clinton

A new Gallup poll found that voters are more likely to vote for a candidate who campaigns with Bill Clinton rather than President Barack Obama. Conversely, a voter is less likely to vote for a candidate who shows up with Obama.

Gallup reports:

Former President Bill Clinton has the potential to do more good for Democratic candidates on whose behalf he campaigns than does President Barack Obama. The net positive impact of Clinton’s campaigning among Democratic registered voters is +48, while the number is a slightly lower +42 for Obama. Clinton, however, has a significantly more positive impact than Obama does among independents -- and among Republicans.

The Big Dog is more selective about whom he campaigns for than whom he messes around with. Clinton told the Telegraph:

I planned to do about one stop for everybody that helped Hillary run for president because she’s one of only two members of the president’s cabinet who cannot participate in politics.

Don’t mess with Bill -- or Hillary.