Publisher's Point
Why I Love My President
By Wayne A. Young
 I admired Jimmy Carter’s attempt to work with the rest of the world as equals as exemplified in his appointment of Andrew Young as UN Ambassador. I liked Bill Clinton’s strong inclusionary practices such as when he selected the then unfamiliar Hazel O’Leary to head the Energy Department.
I love Barack Obama. He embodies Port Of Harlem’s mantra: inclusion, diversity and pan-Africanism. The nation’s first Black president started his presidency with a noble act -- the signing of the Lilly Ledbetter bill, which helps women fight for equal pay for equal work. The occasion reminds me of what Frederick Douglass once said, “When I ran away from slavery, it was for myself; when I advocated emancipation, it was for my people; but when I stood up for the rights of women, self was out of the question, and I found a little nobility in the act.”
 And when I hear Blacks say he has done nothing for them, I wonder where were they when he signed the Affordable Health Care Act (Obamacare) and doubled funding for Pell Grants. As you may know, 80 percent of Blacks compared to 90 percent of Whites currently have no health insurance and according to The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education, “About 46 percent of all African-American undergraduate students receive federal Pell Grant awards. They account for approximately one quarter of all Pell Grant recipients.” (Blacks are about 13 percent of the US population.)
No law should have to have the word “Black” stamped on it for African-Americans to understand the racial implications of its implementation.
Our president’s inclusionary practices have given many Americans more than a seat at the power table. Obama is changing how we value humans and their diverse situations.
The Obama White House’s decision to not defend in court Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act, which prohibits the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages, because he believes it is unconstitutional is a change that affects the level of freedom of many taxpayers. Equally as reasonable is his decision not to allocate scarce funds to enforce laws that officers use to deport children of illegal aliens to placing those resources to deporting illegal aliens who commit crimes. And, allowing money transfers and travel to neighboring communist Cuba makes sense as Americans continue to develop ties with faraway communist China and Vietnam.
With his focus on winding down two unpaid wars and maintaining the war on terrorism in an environment where Americans are focused on problems at home, this son of Africa has not neglected the continent. Despite the domestic political environment, he found funds to support the fight against the Lord’s Resistance Army in Northern Uganda.
Most importantly, I feel the effects of the economy no longer being on a free fall. No longer are we greeted in the morning with huge jobs losses and our advertisers discontinuing their advertisements.
At two recent press conferences, one featuring a Black conservative preacher and the other a White AIDS activist, the speakers were willing to derail Obama’s presidency over not getting exactly what they want on separate, single issues. It takes coalitions to move forward and the president deserves credit for maintaining a sometimes uncooperative, diverse coalition.
Despite his heavy plate, he has kept a steady pace forward on the economy and many social issues just as he did when he learned that the Senate leader’s "single most important" goal is to make him a one-term president, a congressman shouted at him, “you lie!,” (like a common thug) the Arizona governor lost her manners and shook her unloving finger in his face and the reporter rudely interrupted the Commander in Chief while he was speaking.
Leaders often seek the love and admiration of their people. President Obama has earned my love and admiration, and I proudly got his back.
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