Greatest Leader for African-Americans?

Greatest Leader for African-Americans

  • Martin Luther King, Jr.

    Votes: 11 68.8%

  • Barack Obama

    Votes: 1 6.3%

  • Abraham Lincoln

    Votes: 3 18.8%

  • Malcom X

    Votes: 1 6.3%

  • Jesse Jackson

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    16
That's a pretty broad question, and you haven't laid out any criteria at all.

MLK & Lincoln were both incredible leaders & catalysts for the kind of change America was ready for at their respective times. I think the mere election of Obama has already had a transformational effect for African Americans; I have heard so many comments to the effect of "for the 1st time, I feel like I can do anything." It ushers in a whole new era.

As far as leadership, let's see how the next 8 years go...
 
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

He made the civil rights movement a cause of the common man. He knew and understood the principles our society is (was?) founded on, and used them for greater purpose.

I don't even know why Obama is on the list at this time. Obama may prove himself to be a great leader, and one of the best Presidents in history. Or he may not. Only time will tell that tale. While he is the first Black President of the United States, he has yet to really prove himself as belonging to the type of leaders included in the list. Many people like what Obama has to say. But the proof is in the results. So far the only tangible results is Obama got himself elected to the presidency (with a lot of help from an adoring and very biased MSM).

If you think that is a big deal, remember GW Bush got himself elected, too - twice. (So much for getting yourself elected as proof of leadership.)
 
Onceler said:
That's a pretty broad question, and you haven't laid out any criteria at all.

MLK & Lincoln were both incredible leaders & catalysts for the kind of change America was ready for at their respective times. I think the mere election of Obama has already had a transformational effect for African Americans; I have heard so many comments to the effect of "for the 1st time, I feel like I can do anything." It ushers in a whole new era.

As far as leadership, let's see how the next 8 years go...
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The whole point of the question is to leave the criteria open, and allow people to express an opinion based on their own criteria. I did not want to 'bias' the question by interjecting 'criteria' here, I honestly just wanted to hear what others had to say.
 
Good Luck said:
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

He made the civil rights movement a cause of the common man. He knew and understood the principles our society is (was?) founded on, and used them for greater purpose.

I don't even know why Obama is on the list at this time. Obama may prove himself to be a great leader, and one of the best Presidents in history. Or he may not. Only time will tell that tale. While he is the first Black President of the United States, he has yet to really prove himself as belonging to the type of leaders included in the list. Many people like what Obama has to say. But the proof is in the results. So far the only tangible results is Obama got himself elected to the presidency (with a lot of help from an adoring and very biased MSM).

If you think that is a big deal, remember GW Bush got himself elected, too - twice. (So much for getting yourself elected as proof of leadership.)
Click to expand...

I agree with MLK, but for slightly different reasons. Although I am often stereotyped by my moniker and avatar, as well as my heritage and geographic location, one thing that MLK said has profoundly guided my life... "Judge a man not by the color of his skin, but by the content of his character."

I carry this principle a step further, I don't judge people by superficial findings, but by what is inside, what kind of person they are. I don't 'assume' things based on stereotypes, I judge people by what they believe and think, how they express their beliefs and thoughts. I don't judge based on 'black' or 'white' and I don't judge based on whether they have an (R) beside their name, or if they have a rebel flag in their avatar.

I think King brought this message to all men, not just black people. I also think many 'leaders' like Jesse Jackson and Malcom X, have diminished the message delivered by King. Instead of learning to live in a colorblind society, they have fomented racist attitudes and perpetuated the stereotypes which King fought so courageously to overcome.

Lincoln, in my opinion, was a devoutly racist person, who did not want black people in this country. His 'plan' was to free the slaves, then move all black people far away from America. In the end, it didn't work out as he planned, and he became a 'hero' to African-Americans, but this is one of the biggest misconceptions in American history, in my opinion.

Obama runs a close second to MLK, just for the enormous accomplishment of being elected president. However, it remains to be seen if this will turn out to be an asset to black Americans or a detriment to their future in politics. If he has an abysmal run as president, like that of Carter, he may actually have done more to harm progress for blacks than help. It remains to be seen.
 
It should be obvious ... Its Lincoln. MLK was a great man and a genuine inspiration for all Americans .. but Lincoln got the freedom train a'movin
 
I voted Dr. King as well. King was able to bring civil disobedience to America and ultimately shame the kings of Jim Crow into submission. I was close to voting for Malcom X. The reason is that SOMETIMES you can't let people beat you down and Malcom was the loudest voice for blacks to defend themselves. I am also a fan of his exposition on the "house nigger" vs the "field nigger". There were, at that time, too many black people that really believed that you couldn't make the white race mad or life would get worse. Malcom was instrumental in getting a whole generation to stand up for themselves without having to take an asswhoopen.
 
I thought it was Andrew Johnson...the 17th President who was the racist and wanted to relocate African Americans back to Africa ....
 
Out of these choices, definitely MLK. He lead the most powerful movement to politically enfranchise African Americans, and is a hero to most Americans.

For me, Lincoln will never get my vote. Though he did issue the emancipation proclamation, he also waged a terrible war against the South, which IMHO, perpetuated the white supremacist attitude of slavery. The South had the right to secede (like any state does) and the North could have ended slavery the way almost all other nations did: buy all the slaves from the South and then free them in the North (and provide asylum in the future). You might argue that the South would have re-started the slave trade, but I doubt it would have continued for too much longer. Eventually, it would have ended, but without the resentment caused by the civil war.
 
Socrtease said:
I voted Dr. King as well. King was able to bring civil disobedience to America and ultimately shame the kings of Jim Crow into submission. I was close to voting for Malcom X. The reason is that SOMETIMES you can't let people beat you down and Malcom was the loudest voice for blacks to defend themselves. I am also a fan of his exposition on the "house nigger" vs the "field nigger". There were, at that time, too many black people that really believed that you couldn't make the white race mad or life would get worse. Malcom was instrumental in getting a whole generation to stand up for themselves without having to take an asswhoopen.
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I concur. Malcom is an important second place to MLK.

Frederick Douglas, while not as singularly influential, is also of incredible importance.
 
Dixie said:
The whole point of the question is to leave the criteria open, and allow people to express an opinion based on their own criteria. I did not want to 'bias' the question by interjecting 'criteria' here, I honestly just wanted to hear what others had to say.
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It is too open to make a reasonable decision.
 
My only regret about the civil war was that we didn't kill every white southerner and repopulate the south with a more intelligent breed.
 
Dixie said:
I carry this principle a step further, I don't judge people by superficial findings, but by what is inside, what kind of person they are. I don't 'assume' things based on stereotypes, I judge people by what they believe and think, how they express their beliefs and thoughts. I don't judge based on 'black' or 'white' and I don't judge based on whether they have an (R) beside their name, or if they have a rebel flag in their avatar.
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Oh really? Cus racists so often come out and say "Gee I hate them blacks". You have no idea how many times I've seen people assure me that they are not racist at all and that color means nothing to them before going on an incredibly racist rant.

And I do judge people by whether they are a Republican. It tells me what is inside their heart, or more precisely, inside their lack of heart. It means they are right-wing. If you are liberal or moderate and in the Republican party, you are an idiot.
 
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