TheLoop21.com

By: Felicia Pride (Add to your loop)
Thu, 07/31/2008 - 16:23

The Democratic presidential primaries revealed many things— the aggressive politics of Hillary Clinton, the ugly competition between racism and sexism, and Barack Obama’s campaign savvy, which ultimately helped him make history. The tense race also highlighted the widening political differences between the Civil Rights generation, its leadership and those born after segregated schools and bathrooms. 



While voters of the civil rights generation are generally known as democratic loyalists, younger black voters are increasingly knocking down the walls of partisanship. In a political poll of 18- to 45-year-olds conducted by Suffolk University Political Research Center and released in March, more than one-third of respondents said they were registered independents, while 41 percent identified themselves as “politically independent,” even though they’re registered Democrats. More than 50 percent felt that neither the Democratic Party nor the Republican Party was addressing their issues.

“There is no reliance on the pure left versus right, liberal versus conservative, or Democrat versus Republican dynamic,” said Charles D. Ellison, chief editor of blackpolicy.org and political analyst for XM Radio. Ellison adds that these labels conflict with the post-civil rights generation’s tendency to avoid wedding any one political party or talking point.



“Race and civil rights used to be the defining components of politics for older black Americans,” said 28-year-old Keli Goff, co-writer of the Suffolk study and author of Party Crashing: How the Hip-Hop Generation Declared Political Independence. “Younger black voters,” she said, “don’t have the same historical context or American experience, so there is no reason for them to base their entire political philosophy on something they didn’t experience." 



The Suffolk study showed that the most pressing issues for the post-civil rights generation are, in order, the Iraq war, health care, economic inequality and family values. Racial inequality didn’t make the cut. “African Americans today seem more concerned with practical quality of life concerns and needs,” Ellison, 34, said. 



The divide between then and now

This shift is a defining factor in the divide between then and now. “The newer, post-civil rights leadership model is an empowerment model and promotes grabs for power through reliance on business skill, political savvy and technological governance and innovation,” Ellison said. “The classic vanguard of black leaders such as Jackson, Sharpton, Bond, Lewis and others realize that they have less relevancy and voice than before." 



If this is the case, it’s not surprising the study also revealed that 51 percent of respondents “do not believe in the need for a black leader.” An admittance bolstered by the fact that almost 75 percent of those surveyed do not think Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton speak for them. If civil rights leaders want to catch up with the contemporary political landscape, they not only have to modernize their discourse, they have to reaffirm their necessity. 



The NAACP may be taking notes. The once mighty force has faced internal struggles over the last several years, including difficulty retaining presidents and increasing its claimed membership base of 500,000.