Race is the big issue with the election this year. Will Barack Obama win because he is black? Will he lose because he is black? Is American ready for a black president? It’s on everyone’s mind.
Of the 28 public figures on whereIstand.com with opinions on how Obama’s race will affect his candidacy, five are black. What i found particularly interesting was that four of the five said race would negatively affect Obama’s chances of winning the election.
What does that say about our country and whites and blacks in general?
Polls have suggested that whites are saying America is ready for a black president, while according to the public figures on whereIstand, black people themselves think racism will get in the way.
Al Sharpton, St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Sylvester Brown Jr., Democratic Party strategist Donna Brazile and sportswriter Stephen A. think race will negatively affect Obama. Robert L. Johnson, the successful businessman and founder of Black Entertainment Television is the lone abstainer.
Beyond recognizing how race is understood by blacks and whites, this information shines a light on, perhaps, how people in business may view things as opposed to activists and journalists.
whereIstand also aggregates the opinions of its many users on the issues. Of the 50 user opinions, 14 say race will have no effect, 16 say race will positively effect his candidacy and 22 say negatively. Because users are often anonymous and don’t post pictures it isn’t possible to determine whether race has any affect on the stand they take on the issue.
Tags: Barack Obama, Obama, race