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Obama Shines at NAACP Forum, Calls Feds’ Delay in
Post-Katrina Assistance ‘Scandalous’
Date: Friday, July 13, 2007
BlackAmericaWeb.com
By: Michael H. Cottman
DETROIT
– Illinois Sen. Barack Obama said Thursday that if elected president he
would travel quickly to New Orleans, convene a meeting with state and
federal officials to determine why there has been such a devastating
delay in assisting poor black residents of Louisiana two years after
Katrina.
"It’s
scandalous," Obama, a Democrat, told BlackAmericaWeb.com in an
interview at Cobo Center after he participated in a two-hour
presidential forum during the NAACP’s annual convention here, where he
was warmly received.
"As
president, I would meet with the governor and the head of FEMA," he
said. "I wouldn’t leave the room until we figured out what the hold-up
is about."
Approaching
the second anniversary of Katrina that rocked New Orleans in 2005, many
are still homeless; some are still living in government trailers and
others scattered across the country. Rents have skyrocketed in New
Orleans, jobs are scarce and crime is rampant.
Blacks,
already feeling the pinch from a housing shortage in the New Orleans
area after Hurricane Katrina, are now facing racial discrimination in
their search for rental property, a survey by housing advocates found.
The
survey sent black and white "testers" -- paired by matching incomes,
careers, family types and rental histories -- to inquire about openings
at 40 rental properties in metropolitan New Orleans.
The
findings, released by the Greater New Orleans Fair Housing Action
Center, found blacks encountered "less favorable treatment" than their
white counterparts in 57.5 percent of those tests.
In
one example, an agent told the black tester who responded to an
apartment ad on Jan. 22 that only one unit was available, and not until
February. The same agent told the white tester later that day that two
units would be available Feb. 1 and mentioned two other units.
Obama,
who is campaigning to become the first black president of the United
States, said one of the "failures of the Bush administration" is not
providing funding that is already allocated for Katrina relief for the
people of New Orleans.
He
said New Orleans now needs more police officers, infrastructure support
and help with its criminal justice system. "The rebuilding process,"
Obama told BlackAmericaWeb.com, "should also offer opportunities for
black-owned businesses."
Obama
said it’s troubling that millions of dollars in federal contracts have
been awarded to Halliburton, adding that federal officials also "have
an obligation to hire local residents" to help rebuild New Orleans.
He
will continue to take his message of hope to barber shops, beauty shops
and grocery stores around the country to engage voters, Obama
maintains, and, with the help of the NAACP, bring more black folks into
the political process. The organization, he said, is making sure
"people are paying attention to this election."
Obama
still trails Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) in several national polls, but
Obama has proven he can raise money -- $32 million at last count -- and
keep pace with Clinton.
Obama
said his campaign is receiving donations from people giving $5, as well
as collecting money from some of the nation's more wealthy donors.
"One
of the strengths of this campaign is that we have the ability to
generate grass-roots enthusiasm," Obama said after the forum.
In
an interview which ranged in topic from Katrina relief to education,
Obama told BlackAmericaWeb.com that America must also help uplift young
black men, many of whom are without fathers and without jobs.
Helping to address the myriad of social challenges facing young black men in America is not a quick fix, Obama said.
"There
has been crisis building for three or four decades," he said. "There
have been profound mistakes and missed opportunities. We have reached a
critical point." Solving the problem, he said, "will take resources,
commitment and time."
As
president, Obama said he would examine drop-out rates in America’s
public schools while focusing on supporting early childhood education,
summer school programs and efforts to assist young men once they become
teenagers.
"It will not happen overnight," he said. "It will require a long, sustained effort."
During
the NAACP's presidential forum Thursday, Obama derided President Bush's
commutation of former White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby's
prison term even as black men routinely serve time behind bars.
"We
know we have more work to do when Scooter Libby gets no prison time,
and a 21-year-old honor student, who hadn't even committed a felony,
gets 10 years in prison," Obama said to loud cheers, referring to
Genarlow Wilson, a Georgia man serving a 10-year prison sentence for
having consensual oral sex with a 15-year-old girl when he was 17.
All
eight Democratic hopefuls and a lone Republican candidate, Colorado
Rep. Tom Tancredo, addressed the NAACP convention. The Democrats
focused their criticism on the administration's record on race
relations and poverty.
In
their bid to woo black voters, a key party constituency, all the
Democratic hopefuls shared the stage at the forum devoted to racial
issues. Each responded to five specific questions from convention
delegates on health care, gun violence and voting rights.
Obama,
45, said he was too young to have participated in the civil rights
movement of the 1960s, but said he was inspired by it. That comment
prompted a mild dig from Joe Biden, who stressed his long career in
public life.
"I've
been around a while, and I'm old enough to remember the civil rights
movement," Biden, 64, said, adding he was the best candidate to bring
an end to the Iraq war.
Front-runner
Clinton predicted the forum would cover more issues of importance to
the black community than the administration had in six years.
"We
have a president who does not see what you and I see. ... With your
hard work, we will render the people that you and I see visible once
again," the New York senator said. She cited "The Invisible Man," Ralph
Ellison's classic novel of black alienation.
John
Edwards touted his commitment to fighting poverty, calling it "the
cause of my life." Edwards will launch a tour Monday in New Orleans to
spotlight the millions living in poverty.
Edwards' call for felons' voting rights to be restored also received loud cheers, although as a North
Carolina senator in 2002, he voted against a bill allowing felons the right to vote in federal elections.
The
topic of voting rights drew an impassioned response from the
candidates, many of whom spoke of the disputed 2000 election in Florida
that saw many black voters disenfranchised.
"The American people don't feel that when they go vote their vote counts," New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson said.
Alice
Huffman, president of the NAACP’s California branches, said Thursday it
was good to hear candidates talking about ending the war in Iraq,
health care, immigration, free trade and education.
"And they talked about poverty," Huffman told BlackAmericaWeb.com. "That was refreshing."
In
his interview with BlackAmericaWeb.com, Obama said he’s up for the hard
work that needs to be done to help improve the quality of life for all
Americans.
"Why would I want this job?" he asked, chuckling.
"We
have an opportunity to bring about a fundamental change in politics not
seen since Ronald Reagan," Obama told BlackAmericaWeb.com.
The
nation is now experiencing economic challenges, he said, renewed his
pledge to work toward job creation for countless Americans.
"America
has gone through tough times -- and certainly African-Americans have
gone through difficult challenges -- but we’ve gotten through it, and
America has gotten through it," Obama said. "As president, I will tell
the truth. And keep Americans hopeful for a better future."
---
Associated Press contributed to this story.
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