St. Pete activists confront Barack Obama the day before he speaks to a supportive Urban League audience in Orlando. Black outreach finally begins through beauty parlors and barbershops, but not through Black-owned or targeted media.

COMPILED FROM WIRE AND STAFF REPORTS

ST. PETERSBURG — In the midst of an otherwise supportive crowd enjoying Sen. Barack Obama’s stump speech on economics, three Black men stood up with a sign and briefly got the attention of the entire world.

When the opportunity came, one man asked a question of Sen. Barack Obama: “Why is it you have not one time spoken in the interests or even on behalf of the oppressed and exploited African community, the Black community?” queried Diop Olugbala, international organizer for the International People’s Democratic Uhuru Movement, whose worldwide headquarters is located in St. Petersburg. Olugbala mentioned the government response to Hurricane Katrina, the subprime mortgage crisis, the Jena Six incident, and fatal police shootings of Sean Bell in New York and 17-year-old Javon Dawson in St. Petersburg.

“I think you’re misinformed when you say ‘not one time.’ Every issue you’ve asked about, I have spoken about,” Obama responded. “That doesn’t mean I’m going to always satisfy the way you want these issues framed.

‘Vote for someone else’
“It gives you the option of voting for someone else. It gives you the option of running for offi ce yourself. But the one thing that I think is important is that we are respectful towards each other and what is true is that I believe…the only way we’re going to solve our problems is that everyone comes together, Black and White.” The exchange can be viewed at www.uhurunews.com.

Obama’s speech noted that new government figures show 51,000 jobs were lost last month and cited 460,000 jobs lost over the last seven months. He tied other bad economic news from the Bush administration to Republican presidential candidate John McCain and offered his energy program as one route to relief.

Ironically, Obama’s speech took place in a St. Pete neighborhood suffering from 75 percent unemployment among Black men aged 18 and above. Obama never mentioned any proposals targeting the catastrophically high unemployment rate in Black America.

Not an isolated question
Nationally syndicated columnist Dr. Ron Walters writes that the Rev. Jesse Jackson’s concern about Obama’s lack of accountability (though crudely expressed on Fox News), much like the Uhuru Movement’s, is legitimate.

“The danger is that any reference to a Black agenda would be perceived by some Whites as favoritism to Blacks and might cost Obama some votes,” Walters wrote in his column. “Obama’s challenge will be to deal with this issue in a manner that links Black suffering and restorative public policy to Whites and others who suffer similarly.

“This concern will continue to be voiced until Obama respects the Black vote enough to address these issues as a priority of his administration should he win.”

On to Orlando
Obama spent a second day in Florida to speak to the National Urban League, which McCain had addressed a day

earlier. Obama offered a fiery defense of his push to bolster the nation’s schools and dismissed what he called McCain’s “slim record on education.’’

Obama also used Florida as the setting for a shift in policy on offshore oil drilling. While still opposed to expanding oil exploration and development on American coastlines, he said he could reach compromise on the issue if drilling initiatives were part of a broad program aimed at energy independence.

“What I’m interested in, ultimately, is going to be governing,’’ he told reporters at a morning news conference. “What that means is we’re going to have to try to get things done.’’

Asked about the McCain campaign’s claim that Obama had “played the race card’’—one McCain spokesman had suggested that McCain was being painted as a racist— Obama called the criticism an attempt to alter the campaign’s focus.

He added of the Republicans’ approach: “They’re very good at negative campaigning. They’re not so good at governing.’’

‘We’ll let you know’
On Monday, the Obama campaign held a national teleconference with Black media reporters to announce the National Barbershop and Beauty Salon Voter Registration Campaign launched this weekend at the Bronner Brothers hair show in Atlanta. It is the first national effort targeting Black unregistered voters. Actress Kerry Washington, actor Blair Underwood and Obama senior adviser Rick Wade participated in the call.

“Barbershops and beauty salons are the place where boys become men, where women become queens, and where news of challenges, inspirations, obstacles and celebrations are exchanged,” Wade said. “It is also a traditional site for serious discussion of politics, government and civic responsibility.”

This weekend, Obama staffers will go to Black barber and beauty shops in Jacksonville, Atlanta and Detroit to encourage them to register voters, show Obama videos and urge customers to support Obama. For more information on the program, text “barber” or “beauty” to 62262 (OBAMA) on a cell phone.

During the call, three Black journalists asked if or when outreach would begin on Black-owned or target media primarily radio and newspapers. The campaign’s response: “We don’t release such information in advance.

“The senator appreciates the support of Black media and intends to use Black media, both free and earned, much as he did during the primaries,” Wade said. “That’s why we are having this phone call.”

Obama did not advertise in Black media in any meaningful way during the primaries.

Other Florida campaign news
• Obama asked the national party to let the state’s delegates cast full votes at the convention in Denver. Practically speaking, whether Florida delegates have full or half votes won’t matter because Obama won enough delegates in the primaries to claim the nomination.

• The campaign announced that it will broadcast an advertisement on a network of Florida gaspump top televisions called Gas Station TV. Supporters spoke to motorists at eight gas stations across the state about Obama’s energy plan.

• Sen. Hillary Clinton will campaign for Obama in Florida later this month. She will host rallies and voter registration events in South Florida on Aug. 21.

• On Sunday, Obama supporters each knocked on 47 doors in honor of Obama’s 47th birthday on Monday, Aug. 4. Volunteers spoke about Obama’s life story, his family, his experience as a public servant, and his political plans.

Mike Glover of the Associated Press contributed to this report.