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I saw news of the event everywhere. Most interesting was the image of President Obama dancing with Michelle and his kids with Stevie Wonder, Smokie Robinson, Jamie Foxx and John Legend crooning in the background. The president, who appeared to be doing his best, had the stiffness of a corpse, and the posture of a 92-year old woman, but the nation appreciated his effort.
"Interesting," I thought to myself. "The president is a really bad dancer, but I'm impressed that he can shake his butt to Motown while simultaneously dealing with the most complex foreign policy matters known to man. The man is really focused."
In addition to giving the president credit for at least trying to boogey to the music around him, I also wondered why the White House had worked so hard to promote their Motown event. This email, like many others before it, focused on things that appeared to be symbolic, rather than substantive matters in the lives of black people. Sure, we all love Motown, without a doubt. But in light of the fact that black unemployment continues to be in the double digits, and with the White House's insistence upon ignoring people of color on almost every relevant policy issue imaginable, it is ironic that the one time the administration is willing to publicly claim a concern for our existence is when we are dancing for them at the White House.
Yes, I have to say that I was a wee bit insulted. I can hear one of Obama's advisors saying, "Yes, black people love to dance and sing. Let's get some images of the president dancing to Motown music. That will make them believe that we're on their side for sure!"
After the Obama Administration finishes jamming to the beats and rhythms of Detroit, perhaps they will have the same sense of urgency when dealing with the horrifically high unemployment, foreclosure and bankruptcy rates of Detroit (which are far worse than the national average, even among black people). After that, I am hopeful that the administration will send me another email stating that they've decided to declare a state of emergency to save all of the failing public schools in Detroit and every other urban area around the United States. Our horrible school systems and economic inequality are a fundamental violation of our human rights, and as our president is given permission to celebrate Motown, he must also be given permission to deal with real racial inequality in America.
I saw last week that the Obama Administration took a very bold legal position on gay rights, effectively stating that they would stop defending a law that bars gay marriage. The gay community applauded the move loudly, for their president and attorney general had stood by them in their time of need. All the while, black people are facing the highest bankruptcy, jobless, incarceration and high school drop out rates in the United States, yet our president appeases us by dancing next to Stevie Wonder. I love Stevie and I love Motown, but I also love the black people who are struggling to pay their rent. Given that Obama Administration officials have not even uttered the words "black man," or "black woman" in any meaningful public forum, I find myself wondering whether their love for black people goes deeper than the fact that we can sing. In that regard, the White House has become The Cotton Club all over again, with a black man in charge instead of a white one.
After the Motown show, there is another song the president might want to learn by Beyonce Knowles, called "Say my name." If the Obama Administration wants to show that the president's Motown event is anything more than Bill Clinton playing the saxophone on the Arsenio Hall Show, they should say our names in public and make historic racial inequality into a national issue. There is no better time to do this than during Black History Month and no president better equipped to lead the charge than the man who's been (perhaps incorrectly) compared with Dr. Martin Luther King. I will be carefully reviewing my next email from The White House to see if it contains anything more than the typical song and dance, but for some reason, I doubt that it will.
Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here. To follow Dr. Boyce on Facebook, please click here. 
Comments: (245)
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By: DawnKA on 2/26/2011 7:25AM
As a black woman, I was not insulted. I could care less whether the President has rhythm or not. There is a time for everything and I appreciated the event.
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By: d gutin on 5/28/2011 5:20PM
Thank you for having common sense.
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By: Sally on 2/27/2011 2:06PM
As a taxpayer I was insulted and wanted to know if this was "necessary"....what was the point? Couldn't they have gone on a "date night" to a concert to see a Motown concert?
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By: Evelyn G on 2/28/2011 2:18PM
The thing is we have to understand that recreation
is part of everyone's need to revive the spirit. The Motown event at the White House was just such a "recreation" event in my opinion. Serious business never goes away. I view President Obama
as taking this fact into his daily agenda. Taking
"a break" is what we all do. Hopefully some events and activities will come to Dr. Watkins' e-mail on which he will approve.
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By: Ralph on 2/28/2011 2:46PM
not sure why anything needs to be said about this. After all, isn't that WHAT WE DO...dance and sing? Bet you will still find us Black folk still out at the clubs no matter how bad things get. I think it's quite hypocritical to claim to be insulted in the least bit.
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By: girlking on 2/28/2011 4:22PM
Dr. Boyce, when you are going to ask Black people to be responsible and accountable to themselves. I've said it before and I'll say it again. I don't expect the president to open one door for me. We all know that there isn't anything that he can do that targets employment just for Black people. So Dr. Boyce stop expecting the president to sign a bill that requires every company to hire a particular number of Black people. Black People give Jesus something to work with.
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By: william on 3/07/2011 2:40PM
Ms./Mrs.
I am a black man and this non-racial Amercan man is not concern with Black people winning their prosparity prize. Outside of being background vocals to the song and dance performance of Obama's "Yes we can" album tour. We mean little to him. He has been billed by the right media as extremely liberal in his political leanings and this may be true but his performance as a President has been to the right of Bush,Reagan,Ford and all the Presidents before the Civil War! I think your discription of his timing as being acceptable is not supported by his record because if his record did something about the misery of the Black condition in a helpful and meaningful way then yes I would agree with your assessment that there is a time for these types of events but not now when our misery as a whole is so pronounced and nothing is Obama's ansrew to this horror.
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By: Dr. Elnora Rowan on 2/26/2011 7:39AM
Amen Dr. Watkins
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By: Shirley on 2/28/2011 6:39PM
Dr. Boyce,
How many times does one have to remind you, That You represent yourself! I am sick of you constantly advertising yourself as to where you are speaking or appearing! You are just another pretender to the throne trying to make a buck to supplement your work salary! Why are you so petty that you have no recognition of the billions that Motown made off of the talented artists on the label! You have now made yourself one of the crabs in the barrel!I would not ever vote for your whinny protests!
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By: hacksaw on 2/26/2011 8:01AM
Of course, Obama will jump through hoops for Gays because they have a powerful lobby that pays millions to the Democrat party to support their agenda. Blacks may have an agenda, but you have no money, no organization, and no unification so therefore nobody cares.... including Obama. So go ahead and sing and dance Black people, thats probably the only employment you'll ever get!!
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