Why Obama can't 'do enough' for black America

"It is not President Obama's responsibility to make sure that some blacks maintain our job skills so we remain employable, spend a little less so we can build rainy day fund, or watch our diet so we require less medical care. Nor is it his responsibility to ensure that some blacks don't drop out of school. It's not even his responsibility to protect some blacks from crime. These are issues that are the responsibility of individuals, families, or local and state government, not presidential responsibilities.

"The 'Obama isn't doing enough for blacks' criticism also doesn't acknowledge the growing diversity within black America. Which black people do critics mean? Blacks who are small business owners? Liberal blacks? Conservative blacks? Moderate blacks? Rich blacks? The black middle class? Critics instead state or imply a 'black = poor' argument--even though 75 percent of black Americans are not poor--so the very definition of 'blackness' becomes narrow.

"President Obama can't save black America, nor is it his responsibility to do so. That responsibility falls upon the rest of us, to use our strengths (for example, black America's higher-than-the-national-average philanthropy rate, in addition to our combined GDP) to use to improve black communities. The question that we should be asking ourselves: what are we rank-and-file blacks going to do to improve our lives, our families, and our communities, so we progress regardless of who occupies the White House?"