Photo Source: http://www.cnn.com
Staff Writer: Paakweisi Krentsil, ’19
As President Obama’s second term draws to a close, the spotlight shifts towards his successor. The last few months have already been a whirlwind of debates, controversy, and campaigns as the field takes shape. It is safe to say that there will be much more to talk about between now and Election Day. It is easy to form an opinion on most candidates, but there is one more polarizing than the rest, especially in the Black community. Should we or should we not support Dr. Ben Carson?
Ben Carson’s story alone should garner major support. He rose above his environment as a poor kid from inner-city Detroit to attend Yale and later became one of the most respected figures in the medical field. Among his many accomplishments include being the youngest division director at any hospital in the United States, as well as leading the team that performed the first successful separation of conjoined Siamese twins.
He exemplifies Black excellence and is among the many role models we have to look up to; who constantly inspires us to pursue our goals in spite of our surroundings. Having him in the White House would be another major victory for African-American people everywhere.
Despite all of this there is rift between Carson and Black voters. Carson is running as a Republican, therefore his target voters are majority Caucasian conservatives. In an effort to appease this group, he has said things to undermine one of the main issues we face today.
Last month, he criticized the Black Lives Matter movement, saying that it “is foisting itself on bullying people” and that Michael Brown, the teen whose death started the movement, “was a bad actor.” This month, he made a joke about growing up in a different time, “before the cops would shoot you,” then tried to retract that statement as his audience laughed. For us, these are not jokes. He has trivialized the suffering of families nationwide and condemned people for saying “Enough is enough.”
His solution to police brutality against African-Americans is for us to go to the Republican Party and make our voices heard, but the GOP does not have the interests of minorities in mind. It raises serious questions of whether Carson really cares about his people. In gaining this fame, has he lost his sense of identity?
There is no definitive answer to this question. In one moment, he decries Black Lives Matter but he warns against denying racism’s existence in the next. For every negative comment he makes, there is a positive act to offset the impact. He has been a role model to African-American youth for decades, but his words make it hard to even look at him, much less look up to him.
Ben Carson’s current relationship with the Black community is a difficult one to understand. He is undoubtedly an icon in Black history, but he doesn’t quite connect with most Black people today. It is still very early in election season, so time will tell how this relationship changes, if it does at all.
