Posro Media LLC

During a recent segment of an ESPN TV show, Andre Iguodala of the Philadelphia 76ers was being interviewed by one of the show's reporters. As the hour wound down, the in-studio host asked Mr. Iguodala, "Why did you do the interview outside? It's so cold, and you're not even wearing a hat." Iguodala replied, "Hey that's how President Obama did it -- in the cold, with no hat. I have to step it up."

Iguodala then went on to mention how excited he was about President Barack Obama, and that in his hometown (coincidentally, Springfield, Ill.),the test scores for black males have gone up since President Obama took office. The ad hoc interview responses of a black athlete are far from a testament of President Obama's impact on the black community. They do, however, point to a state of mind -- at least in some sectors.

For instance, I've received a significant number of e-mails from people who wanted to write to recap their Inauguration Day experiences. All were upbeat and ranged from how proud they were to be Americans, to saying that this occasion was the first time they'd ever seen their father cry. In the same vein, barber shops are reporting a resurgence of the "Caesar" cut that Obama wears, although, now, it's being called the "Obama." There is even a humorous comic strip making the rounds that speculates that five years from now, the first day of school in the black community will see scores of children with names like Obamalita Jackson and Obama Taylor take their seats in the classroom.

Clearly, I'm stating the obvious by saying the emergence on President Obama has had a positive effect on the mood in the black community. A cynic could legitimately say that good feelings can only get you so far, but I think the cynic would be missing the point.

One of the major issues in the black community is the negative and stereotypical reporting of the news. I'm not a big news watcher, but whenever I sample it, there seems to be a preponderance of "my" people reported as criminals or crime victims. Every now and then, there are "feel-good" stories, but those stories are far outnumbered by the ruinous and painful negative ones I mentioned.

Without fear of contradiction, I can say that Barack Obama's presidency has changed the texture of the nightly news for the next four (hopefully, eight) years. Night after night, the news will report on a black man who also happens to be the most influential and powerful person in the world.

In considering the impact this will have, the closest thing I can think of is that of boxer Muhammad Ali on young black boys like me in the 1970s. Ali stood tall and spoke without equivocation. He was black, he was proud; but more important, he was a man of his time.

Barack Obama is not the outspoken, pull-no-punches man that Ali was, but he doesn't need to be; he is the president of the United States. When he speaks, no matter the amplitude or intensity, people have no choice but to listen. Just as Ali inspired people like me to be proud of who I am and to pull no punches, President Obama casts an image of dignity and grace under pressure. He, too, is a man of his time, for in these boisterous days, seeing a black man exude a quiet strength, day after day and night after night will, over time, bring civility and decorum into sharper focus in our communities. Witnessing a black man express his anger with dignity and without "cursing people out" in the most pressurized of situations is a positive that I look forward to witnessing.

The cynics will see little to no value in any of this. But the parent raising a child in the inner city or the suburbs knows the value implicitly. The school official who sees young black children heckled at assemblies after being given awards for excellent academic achievement knows the intrinsic value of having the Obamas as our president and first lady.

The cynics, however, do have a point to make. There is a good deal of blind hero worship of President Obama, and the fact that he is the president of all America by definition means that some of his decisions may not be pleasing to us. When the going gets particularly tough and he needs to raise approval points, I wonder if he may even decide to take the "Bill Cosby" stance and blame low-income black people for some of the problems that confront them. When Obama is wrong or we disagree with him, we have to voice it. There's no denying that fact.

Being president of the United States is the toughest job in the world. But like most jobs, the proof is in the pudding. If President Obama is able to turn the American economy around and loosen the grip of partisan politics, he will be seen and remembered as an excellent president. A black man who demonstrates excellence every day in the highest office in the land will bolster our ambition. Equally important, it will soften the stereotypes of black people that still infect much of American society.

If a cynic can't see that bolstered ambitions and the erosion of stereotypes have a major impact on the black community, then I have only one question: What impact would a McCain presidency have had?


Roland Laird is co-author of "Still I Rise: A Graphic History of African Americans" and CEO of Posro Media LLC, a Trenton-based entertainment company specializing in African American culture. He can be reached by e-mail at rol@posro.com.