Veteran journalist, political strategist, and best-selling author Goldie Taylor breaks down the racist roots of birtherism in eloquent fashion.
Taylor works as managing director of Goldie Taylor Brand Communications, executive consultant for NBC News, and contributing editor for TheGrio.
Watch her take on birtherism.
My quick google research shows John McCain was born in the Panama Canal Zone (which was a US territory at the time) but no one questioned whether he was “American.” All signs in this debate point to racism. I know I’ve been asked if I “belonged” to my college campus or to show my ID when I’m in a building after hours. Seems like I got a lot in common with Obama. But it’s kinda sad to be treated like a second class citizen in the country where you’re the president. smh
I know what you mean about college police! Watch Survivor story posted here earlier and you would immediately understand the racial undertones in the statement that white people sometimes make. I thought the was when Steve had called Phillip a ‘dangerous man’. Where did that come from.
So when they say they want to take America back, they mean from the hands of those ‘dangerous’ people – Black People!
And guess who’s the dangerous one? The popo! And what color are they?
What does Obama expect? You are a Black man and you are in the White House… it’s obviously not your Building. If you are inside anyways, then you need to show some ID! It’s the same crap everywhere at every level. I am not surprised you see that at your college campuses.
Goldie Taylor’s story is one that is shared by many African Americans and Black immigrants in America. In 1957 right after the independence of the Gold Coast from British Colonial hands, when I had sent my minister of finance, Dr. Gbedemah, to America for international duty, he was refused to enter a restaurant in New York City. And Gbedemah obviously appalled, wanted to make a big story about it.
I sent Gbedemah a telegram to vamoose to Harlem and enjoy himself on some sumptuous Soul food.
Obama has no duty to Trump’s stupidity and racist inclinations. There was no reason for the White House to release his birth certificate. You are the President of the USA. Period. How is it possible for Trump to treat Obama like a ‘boy’, ‘let me see your papers’, and ‘n*ger’, in America! According to Spike Lee, Black people, you need to WAKE UP!
And I am appalled that institutions like the University of Pennsylvania, of which I am also an alumni like that Trump, have not yet dissociated themselves from such statements. He tarnishes the name of a fine institution.
Trump has had a long track record of racism. There was one instance in New York City in 1989 where a White woman had been raped and brutally assaulted. She could not however remember events an hour before the incident. But the NYPD arrested 5 black kids!
Donald Trump took out full page ads in four New York City newspapers asking specifically for the death penalty for these five black kids.
It later turned out that the NYPD had fabricated the case against these innocent black kids. They had even forced the kids to confess, which they gladly did in the hope of a reduced sentence, at the expense of a longer painful sentence had they not confessed.
Now tell me if this guy is not racist?
Race in America has to be handled with the utmost care and diligence. It’s a water no one without the specific experience should tread. This is not as simple and straightforward as many people make it seem. Race is a serious issue and I equally agree with the past President of the American Sociological Association, Joe Feagin, that America is a ‘totally racist society’!
However, only in America has the problem of the color line been given much debate. Furthermore, only in America has the government enacted policies to fight the cancer. But the road has been dusty and the vehicle of change is not running fast enough.
Perhaps Obama can WAKE UP and realize that his country needs him more than ever before. The problem of the color line needs to be debated especially with a Black president in office. This can be a bold step in the right direction to re-enacting further policies to tackling both implicit and explicit racial bickering in America and its politics.
Yes, Obama needs another big speech like the one he gave when the Clinton’s abused him in the Democratic Candidate elections campaign.
I guess your talented 10th hasn’t worked out so well, ha?
The talented 10th? That was an idea I had when I was young and impressionable!
This issue has boiled into something else. All Trump is doing is to make sure that Obama is indeed who he says he is. What’s wrong with that? The fact that no one has ever asked an American President before is a strong point and may suggest some racist propensity. At the same time living in a democratic super power gives citizens like us the right to ask when we are in doubt. I don’t know why people never asked any president for their birth certificate but I am cock sure that if any one had come forward to do as Trump is doing right now, it would have been a perfectly legitimate request.
Besides let’s be circumspect about this. Obama was asked to produce his Birth Certificate a long time ago, even before the democratic elections. When he was running for the candidacy, the Clintons had asked him to produce his birth certificate. No one said the Clintons were racist?
So why is Trump racist? For asking now? No he had asked way before Obama became president! I just don’t understand why he is racist and the Clintons are not. Someone please explain.
Do you think asking for the president’s college transcript is racist then? Even more, insinuating that his birth certificate might just be fake? Is this respectful?
I think it’s disrespectful! Very disrespectful! But is it racist? I am certainly not abreast with that kind of judgement. I should add though that Obama himself has delayed this issue for far too long. Let’s not be carried away that for a country that is fighting terrorism everywhere possible in the world, a middle name such as Obama’s should raise some eyebrows. And it should be perfectly legitimate to assuage some citizens’ concerns about any president’s, not just Obama’s, patriotism. This is a country of immigrants and when we become citizens, in whatever way, we must profess our patriotism not just in words but in written form. To this end we all, both black and white, need to assure each other and one another of our utmost allegiance and support for the American cause!
I feel that this is bigotry to the fullest extent of the word. That makes it racist… the whole point.
This is an answer to Kaka. Your point would only be valid if Obama had never “ever” produced a birth certificate. He did in fact produce one. He couldn’t have run for presidency without showing a birth certificate. Obama produced the shortened version of his BC, which was issued by a legitimate US state, Hawaii, not Kenya, not Afghanistan, not Indonesia. Up until this point, that short version had been enough to verify American citizenship for Hawaiians. That piece of paper was enough when no one thought he could win, but all of the sudden it is not a valid proof when he is elected? When does this double standard stop? Does that sound like democracy in action to you? or just pure racial profiling? And now they are questioning his educational background? Wow, just wow. What;s next?. Also, your comment about Obama’s name are a bit frightening I might say. The next time you meet an American child named Fidel or Castro please tell him he should never dream of becoming president because people might assume he is a communist. This sickens me.
That’s why I think it’s disrespectful but not racist. When no one thought he could win no one payed him attention. When it showed that he was a real contender, what do you expect? Of course his opponents were going to use any thing about him to score political points. What do you think politics is? Nice? But is it racist?
You could argue that, especially in light of this country’s history. And you may add that people like Trump are using implicit racial slurs ‘like this one’ to appeal to unsuspecting racist whites. However, hiding behind this countries history is equally political and treads an equally sentimental path to appealing to unsuspecting Americans to accuse Trump as racist.
Thus complaining that this sort of thing is racist is a sure political point and underscores the real nature of politics. It’s a competition and a whole lot of money is involved!
That doesn’t mean people should not be circumspect. But it means in the heat of the competition we go as far as disrespecting each other. And when that is misconstrued as racist, it becomes disappointing.
Yes. We have to be circumspect and even more importantly, honorable. I think both sides should now do their best to take the heat off this issue so that Americans can unite towards solving the most pressing issues. This should be the end goal of it all, right? This ‘brute’ we call politics!