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THE INCLUSION OF BLACKS IN AMERICAN LEADERSHIP
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THE INCLUSION OF BLACKS IN AMERICAN LEADERSHIP
A culture does not change overnight because the endless stories in communities shape it. In the context of Chimamanda Adichie’s anecdote, the consequences may be dire if individuals promote a biased perspective exclusively. Barrack Obama’s victory in 2008 was received by an exciting blend of celebration and disbelief. It may not be ascertained whether the doubt surpassed the festivities, but it was sure that a long-held perspective had been formidably challenged. The current President, Joe Biden, recently headlined major newspapers when he vowed to nominate the first black woman to the supreme court. The controversy is that the president failed to stop at the requisite qualifications or the gender but went to specify the race. President Biden posed another challenge to the traditionally proposed subservience of the black community. Racial discrimination is facilitated by stereotyping and fortified by denial.
Suppose there is one individual who can legitimately evaluate the competency of a black person. In that case, President Biden, having worked with one of them as “debatably” the most powerful man on earth, would be ideal. The assumptions in the statement are readily discernable. However, the notice effectively serves as the antithesis for the stereotypes in the single story of racism. It is an alternative story. In the single-story, the black community is perceived as incompetent and undeserving of leadership. This aspect reflects the concept of power distance by Geert Hofstede’s theory due to their social and racial position (Hofstede 2011, 8). Jackson and Jackson (2004, 202) assert that the discrimination of blacks is conveniently justified with the prevalent social problems in the black community. Indeed, the black community is significantly plagued by academic failure, teenage pregnancy, drug addiction, and father absence. Such aspects further highlight ascription elements by judging others in Hofstede’s model. This aspect demonstrates that single stories are based on half-truths that earn them the necessary plausibility.
The listed social problems are utilized to declare the black persons as failures, and a loss cannot possibly be placed in a position of power, including the Whitehouse. That aspect is why Obama’s ascendance dazed the world to the presidency (Walker). Notably, the single story of black inferiority has been sold well enough that the whole world bought it. It should be more believable after global colonization and subsequent slavery. President Biden promised to nominate the first black woman to the supreme court while on the campaign trail (Kapur, 2020, n.p.). He then recommitted to the promise of the resignation of Justice Breyer from the bench (Sullivan et al., 2022, n.p.). Admittedly, the vow was meant to sway the black vote. In this context, it asserted the competence of the blacks, given that Biden did not settle on a name but was confident that he would find a qualified black woman.
Blacks are perceived as aggressive. CNN has reported countless stories of white persons calling the police on black people when they have not committed any offense. The callers just considered them a threat because of their racial identities. One white lady, miss Cooper was captured, threatening to call the police just because a black man guided her not to unleash her dog in a public space in Central Park. Moreover, it was not merely unsolicited counsel. There was an erected signpost of caution (Vera, 2020, n.p.). Other discriminatory calls include a black woman at Hilton Hotel’s swimming pool to a YouTube real estate investor checking on a property. Logically, if innocent black persons appear threatening even when utilizing public facilities, they could never be endorsed by a racist for a position of power.
There are still half-truths to justify the discrimination. Due to the historical and social inequality, some members of the black community desperately opted to indulge in criminalities (Sullivan and Cross, 2016, 87). Under the Black Panther banner, the extremist personalities also engaged in vicious altercations with the existing authorities. Such accounts have been used to brand the black as violent and inclined to criminality (Entman and Rojecki, 2010, 82). On the other side of the story, King was awarded the Nobel peace prize for the peaceful activism for the rights of the black people (Fleming, 2008, 80). The accounts only form justifiable grounds for single stories. Barrack Obama again challenged the stereotype when he won the Nobel peace prize (Steven and Stolberg, 2009, n.p.). While blacks are painted as violent in one quarter, one is globally acknowledged for diplomacy. Similarly, while blacks are stereotyped as lawbreakers, president Biden nominates one ...