We’ll Remember in November

That’s the rallying cry of tea partiers who oppose President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul agenda.

It is said that imitation is the highest form of flattery. So, it’s a testament to the effectiveness of black voter empowerment groups that their mobilization message has been co-opted by Obama’s opponents.

Consider: The National Urban League’s 2010 Equality Index found little change in African Americans’ progress vis-à-vis white Americans in every category, including unemployment, educational attainment and household income. The sole exception was civic engagement:

The 2010 Equality Index for the black-white comparison stands at 71.8%, compared to the revised 2009 index of 71.2%.

The 0.6 percentage point increase in this year’s overall index represents the first one-year uptick in the last four years. This uptick is largely driven by the increase in the civic engagement index (97.6% in 2009 to 102.2% in 2010) which was mostly due to the black voter turnout in the 2008 Presidential elections.

Yes, but will black voters remember to turn out on November 2? Election Day is seven months from today.