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Obama Visits Slave Fort: Symbolic But Significant
As part of his visit to Ghana, President Obama took time to visit a former slave fort located on the African coast. To be sure there was more style than substance in this event but there was a pretty significant and moving nature to the event.
Even for those of us who don’t support everything the President does there has always been a bit of pride in the fact that a nation that once allowed slavery is now governed by a man who would have been such a slave. This symbolism is perhaps more poignant when the most powerful man on the planet visits the place that some of his ancestors were brought to in chains.
Sometimes style does outweigh substance and I think this may be one of those times.
14 Responses to “Obama Visits Slave Fort: Symbolic But Significant”
I doubt that any of President Obama ancestors were ever slaves. It is much more likely that President Obama had ancestors who were slave owners (on both his mother'ss and his father's side).
President Obama's father was Luo. Ancestor Luo's were alchemists/warriors with magical powers. The last being Mze Luanda Magere. I honestly doubt that any Luos became slaves, but they may have had a few captured Nandi as slaves, (slavery being very much unlike the conservative American or British form of slavery that was once common in white nations). Their mystical powers were feared through out East Africa. So superdestroyer, POOF you're a pile of crap.
President Obama is my President…..of whom I am well Pleased!
I doubt that any of President Bush's ancestors were ever slaves. It is much more likely that President Bush had ancestors who were slave owners (on both his mother'ss and his father's side).
Does that dimisnish President Bush's similar visit to the former slave fort several years ago?
D. E.
To say that President Obama could have been a slave is to deny his own family's history and the history of Africa. President Obama has zero ancestors who were slaves. To make a bigger deal out of President Obama going to west Africa because his father was from East AFrica makes no sense.
However, it does make sense in the view of the U.S. program to lump all dark skinned people into the government approved grievance group of “African-Americans” who get qualified for race base set aside programs.
SuperDestroyer,
While President Obama may not have any ancestors who were slaves, his wife did and so do his children…
DQ
But President Obama's children also have ancestors who were slave owners. Why should his children who had two Ivy league graduates for parents be eligible for minority set asides, AA, and a separate and unequal hiring and admissions standards?
D.E.–
Skin color is irrelevant. A white man born in Africa, (of which there are many), and, migrates to America is also an African American.
Slavery as an issue is also irrelevant. The President Visited a fort, an ancient slave transfer point on behalf of the people of the United States and I am well please that he did so ESPECIALLY since he is black.
Take pride in your President. How many black heads of state have other white nations elected?
FT,
Actually there is an argument on whether whites born in Africa count as African-American. There are white athletes from Zimbabwe and South Africa who have migrated to either the U.S., Canada, or a country in Europe. They are never described as being African.
I doubt if Harvard would count a descendant of Afrikaners as African-American. Even the U.S. Naval Academy has admitted that the definition of minorities is unclear and easily abused.
Father-Time, pls. re-read my original comment.
I am, like you, proud of our President, and proud that he visited “an ancient transfer point on behalf of the American people…”
My comment was intended to question the attempts by some to minimize the significance and symbolism of Obama's visit.
Take care
Really? would that be the men who married the Black House Servant? or would it be the men who raped the Black House Servant for pleasure and profit?
DQ,
That would be the ancestors of the white grandmother who actually raised President Obama and could probably include the black ancestors back in Kenya.
I know that the left like to ignore any white relatives that a mixed race person has but please, think about what you write.
Patrick, thank you for writing this piece. I'm quite astonished by some of the response to it.
Wow superdestroyer!.. just Wow!
If this request were not from a man who's every post is packed with such well thought out (sic) tirades/rants (seldom subtle… sometimes vicious) of his racist fear, distrust and hatred of anything and anything that is not white it would be both reasonable and understandable BUT in this thread alone superdestroyer has “thoughtfully” written:
Superdestroyer… Practice what you preach and you wouldn't need to wear a mask.
Last I heard, Obama's Grandmother was from Kansas, not a slave state…
But feel free to elaborate…