Martin Luther King Jr. DayIf there's anyone out there arguing about the impact of electing a black president on this nation's African-American community, they should probably sit down now. Quietly. As we approach Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the extent to which the president has reconfigured views and perceptions of self-worth is astounding. A new Pew study shows that in the last two years, the number of blacks who think they're better off than they were five years ago has almost doubled, from 20 percent to 39 percent. The swing in opinion, it should be noted, takes place in parallel with the election of Barack Obama, but also, more impressively, despite a severe economic recession that has disproportionately affected blacks. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, nearly 50 percent of blacks 16-19 are unemployed; the figure, like most employment statistics, is substantially undervalued, as it does not include those that have given up searching for a job. National Public Radio quoted academics this week who believe fewer than 14 out of every 100 young African-American men are currently employed. Nonetheless, 52 percent of African-Americans now say that if blacks can't get ahead in this country, it is because they're personally responsible, as opposed to discrimination being at fault. It's a position that's evolved slowly, in fits and starts, and shouldn't be purely tied to Obama's rise. More poignantly: The number of black Americans who think things will get better has jumped by nearly 10 points in the last two years, from 44 percent to 53 percent, despite the economic downturn. The extent to which African-Americans have suffered disproportionately from the recession has remained rather underreported. Manufacturing, particularly in the auto industry, was a major source of employment for the black community; between 20 and 25 percent of workers in the auto sector were African-American.
So, on this Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we're left with an exceedingly hopeful black community confronting a better share of hardship than it should suffer. One of the most powerful moments I've experienced as an American came in November 2008, talking with African-Americans as they waited in line to cast their ballots for Obama. Their tears, their ambitions — the power of that day cannot be undermined, even by an economic collapse, we now know. I'm also reminded this week of remarks that Bill Clinton offered at Coretta Scott King's funeral in 2006. He told the audience: The most important day of her life, after the one where she embraced her faith, was April 5, 1968, the day after her husband was killed, when "She had to decide, 'What am I going to do with the rest of my life?' We would have all forgiven her, even honored her, if she said, 'I have stumbled on enough stony roads. I have been beaten by enough bitter rods, I have endured enough ... I'm going home and raising my kids. I wish you all well.' Nobody could have condemned that decision, but instead, she went to Memphis, the scene of the worst nightmare of her life, and led that march." Perhaps not every day, but likely every month, we have an opportunity to lead a march in our own little way, to uphold King's legacy in some fashion. Don't shy from that opportunity; don't be too tired or too busy this month or the next. This is a time for us to hopeful about the world — to see the opportunity, as opposed to the adversity, that we face. Brian Till, one of the nation's youngest syndicated columnists, is a research fellow for the New America Foundation, a think tank in Washington. He can be contacted at till@newamerica.net. To find out more about the author and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com. COPYRIGHT 2010 CREATORS.COM 
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