--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If Barack Obama now, or some black person…" description: "\"If Barack Obama now, or some black person in the future, should become president, neither Jesse Jackson nor Al Sharpton would be out of a job. A black ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30b/michael-eric-dyson-1424_al_if-barack-obama-now-or-some-black-person_1865101.png" --- # If Barack Obama now, or some black person in the future… ![“If Barack Obama now, or some black person in the future, should become president, neither Jesse Jackson nor Al Sharpton would be out of a job. A black president can't end black misery; a black president can't be a civil rights leader or primarily a crusader for racial justice.” quote by Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30b/michael-eric-dyson-1424_al_if-barack-obama-now-or-some-black-person_1865101.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30b/michael-eric-dyson-1424_al_if-barack-obama-now-or-some-black-person_1865101.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30b/michael-eric-dyson-1424_al_if-barack-obama-now-or-some-black-person_1865101.png) > “If Barack Obama now, or some black person in the future, should become president, neither Jesse Jackson nor Al Sharpton would be out of a job. A black president can't end black misery; a black president can't be a civil rights leader or primarily a crusader for racial justice.” [Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A Black president cannot single solve systemic racism; the role of Black leaders is broader than symbolic representation. **In simple terms:** Black leadership alone can't end racism. Key Takeaway Support systemic change. Themes politics race leadership systemic injustice Mood critical thought‑provoking Type analytical political When to use this quote - policy reform - community organizing - education - media representation Key Concepts critical race theory political sociology Questions to Reflect On - What structural changes are needed? - How can allies contribute effectively? A Different Perspective Risk of generalizing all Black leaders. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Al](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/al/) [Barack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/barack/) [Barack obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/barack-obama/) [Become](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/become/) [Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black/) [Black person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-person/) [Black President](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-president/) [Civil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civil/) [Civil Right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civil-right/) [Civil rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civil-rights/) [End](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/end/) [Future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/future/) [Future President](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/future-president-1052727/) [Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jackson/) [Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jesse-jackson/) [Job](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/job/) [Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) [Leader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leader/) [Misery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/misery/) [Neither](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/neither/) [Nor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nor/) [Now](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/now/) [Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obama/) [Obama Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obama-black-761412/) [Out](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/out/) [Person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/person/) [President](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president/) [President Jesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president-jesse-2536630/) [Primarily](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/primarily/) [Racial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racial/) [Rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rights/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Some](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/some/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trump/) [Would](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/would/) ## Related quotes > [My kids did not know that Obama was the first black president. I felt like I needed to tell them because I felt like,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenya-barris/my-kids-did-not-know-that-obama-was-the-first-black-president-i-felt/) [Kenya Barris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenya-barris/) > [I don't think that the United States are ready for a presidency as the one of Obama, at least because he would be the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gianfranco-fini/i-don-t-think-that-the-united-states-are-ready-for-a-presidency-as/) [Gianfranco Fini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gianfranco-fini/) > [Really, an historic night last night. You may have heard, Barack Obama will be the first black president of the United States of America.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-stewart/really-an-historic-night-last-night-you-may-have-heard-barack-obama/) [Jon Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-stewart/) > [“Future presidential candidates Senator Barry Goldwater of Arizona and Senator John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts were members of the committee. The committee’s chief counsel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-brandt/future-presidential-candidates-senator-barry-goldwater-of-arizona-and/) [Charles Brandt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-brandt/) > [If every senator looks into the mirror and sees a future president, then every president looks into that same mirror and sees himself on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-cohen/if-every-senator-looks-into-the-mirror-and-sees-a-future-president/) [Richard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-cohen/) > [A sportswriter once referred to him as our future president. With a name like Kevin, I don't know whether that's possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/a-sportswriter-once-referred-to-him-as-our-future-president-with-a/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [I personally can barely remember what I was like before I came to college, what made me happy or worried or confident. I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-fahrenthold/i-personally-can-barely-remember-what-i-was-like-before-i-came-to/) [David Fahrenthold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-fahrenthold/) > [Voters should absolutely know that a future president has the instincts to react to real-life and unrehearsed situations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-grenell/voters-should-absolutely-know-that-a-future-president-has-the/) [Richard Grenell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-grenell/) > [“THAT IS WHERE THIS COUNTRY IS HEADED—IT IS HEADED TOWARD OVERSIMPLIFICATION. YOU WANT TO SEE A PRESIDENT OF THE FUTURE? TURN ON ANY TELEVISION…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/that-is-where-this-country-is-headed-it-is-headed-toward/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [If your selling access to somebody who is a future president or current secretary of state, or if there's an implication that you are,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-fahrenthold/if-your-selling-access-to-somebody-who-is-a-future-president-or/) [David Fahrenthold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-fahrenthold/) > [Just imagine in 20 years, when candidates will have grown up with social media their entire lives. We're going to have a president where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-williams/just-imagine-in-20-years-when-candidates-will-have-grown-up-with/) [Brad Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-williams/) > [“Obama was born into a country where laws barring his very conception—let alone his ascendancy to the presidency—had long stood in force. A black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/obama-was-born-into-a-country-where-laws-barring-his-very-conception/) [Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/) > [I think that America certainly has racism, I think that any industrialized country does. But when you see how many million fans Barack Obama…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-think-that-america-certainly-has-racism-i-think-that-any/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [“You who came of age in the past decade have had eight years of a Black U.S. president, and that gloss looked good, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohja-kahf/you-who-came-of-age-in-the-past-decade-have-had-eight-years-of-a/) [Mohja Kahf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohja-kahf/) > [ I didn't elect \[Barack\] Obama because he's a black; I voted for Obama because he was the right person at the time. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-glover/i-didn-t-elect-barack-obama-because-he-s-a-black-i-voted-for-obama/) [Danny Glover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-glover/) ## More by Michael Eric Dyson > [Jeremiah Wright is one of the greatest prophetic preachers that black America has produced. What I find striking is that many white brothers and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/jeremiah-wright-is-one-of-the-greatest-prophetic-preachers-that-black/) [Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/) > [ What are you for? It may be, to a degree, consoling that white brothers and sisters did not vote for \[Donald\] Trump, and do… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/what-are-you-for-it-may-be-to-a-degree-consoling-that-white-brothers/) [Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/) > [I went to school four years later than most people because I was a teen father, hustled on the streets, worked, lived on welfare…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/i-went-to-school-four-years-later-than-most-people-because-i-was-a/) [Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/) > [It is true that race is a social fiction, a myth perpetuated by a variety of peoples throughout the modern period, especially, to further…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/it-is-true-that-race-is-a-social-fiction-a-myth-perpetuated-by-a/) [Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/) > [ I've written a lot of other books and this book \[Tears we cannot stop\] was different. I couldn't just say what I wanted to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/i-ve-written-a-lot-of-other-books-and-this-book-tears-we-cannot-stop/) [Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/) > [“And there is a paradox that many of you refuse to see: to get to a point where race won’t make a difference, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/and-there-is-a-paradox-that-many-of-you-refuse-to-see-to-get-to-a/) [Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/) > [ Elvis \[Presley\] had a stepstool, if you will, to success because he came from the dominant culture. They identified with him. Michael Jackson had… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/elvis-presley-had-a-stepstool-if-you-will-to-success-because-he-came/) [Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/) > [I believe in a God of a second chance and a God of love and mercy, because I need so much more of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/i-believe-in-a-god-of-a-second-chance-and-a-god-of-love-and-mercy/) [Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/) > [Hurricane Katrina overwhelmed levees and exploded the conventional wisdom about a shared American prosperity, exposing a group of people so poor they didn't have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/hurricane-katrina-overwhelmed-levees-and-exploded-the-conventional/) [Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/) > [I was very struck when Min. Farrakhan said if Jesus and Muhammad were here today, they'd be embracing each other. That's a tremendous message…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/i-was-very-struck-when-min-farrakhan-said-if-jesus-and-muhammad-were/) [Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/) > [“O! save us, we pray thee, thou God of Heaven and of earth, from the devouring hands of the white Christians!!! . . .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/o-save-us-we-pray-thee-thou-god-of-heaven-and-of-earth-from-the/) [Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/) > [We can't exempt ourselves from the same moral calculus that we are willing to apply to others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/we-can-t-exempt-ourselves-from-the-same-moral-calculus-that-we-are/) [Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/) > [New Orleans invented the brown paper bag party - usually at a gathering in a home - where anyone darker than the bag attached…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/new-orleans-invented-the-brown-paper-bag-party-usually-at-a-gathering/) [Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/) > [“Whiteness is an advantage and privilege because you have made it so, not because the universe demands it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/whiteness-is-an-advantage-and-privilege-because-you-have-made-it-so/) [Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/) > [I'm just challenging white supremacy at its intellectual heart every day. It's a pedagogy that I deploy against some of the most vicious resistance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/i-m-just-challenging-white-supremacy-at-its-intellectual-heart-every/) [Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/) [Explore all 242 Michael Eric Dyson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/) ## More Al quotes > [I like 'The Usual Suspects'. Great film. I also like 'Scarface', films like that. Lots of gangster films. I really like watching all kinds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barkhad-abdi/i-like-the-usual-suspects-great-film-i-also-like-scarface-films-like/) [Barkhad Abdi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barkhad-abdi/) > [Al Jazeera is a representation of, you know, diversity in the Arab world. In our newsroom, we have every single nationality, we have every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wadah-khanfar/al-jazeera-is-a-representation-of-you-know-diversity-in-the-arab/) [Wadah Khanfar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wadah-khanfar/) > [If the practice is torture for the al Qaeda operative who masterminded the killing of three thousand Americans, why weren't there court-martials in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-a-rodriguez-jr/if-the-practice-is-torture-for-the-al-qaeda-operative-who/) [Jose A. Rodriguez, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-a-rodriguez-jr/) > [Searches of al Qaeda sites in Afghanistan, undertaken since American-backed forces took control there, are not known to have turned up a significant cache…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barton-gellman/searches-of-al-qaeda-sites-in-afghanistan-undertaken-since-american/) [Barton Gellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barton-gellman/) > [Nobody had race savvy like Al Unser in his prime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-andretti/nobody-had-race-savvy-like-al-unser-in-his-prime/) [Mario Andretti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-andretti/) > [There are many causes of violent deaths in America - murders and traffic accidents - that we do not approach with the same 'no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-c-blair/there-are-many-causes-of-violent-deaths-in-america-murders-and/) [Dennis C. Blair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-c-blair/) > [If you want to join the Republican party, they have to let you in. There's nothing they can do about it. I mean, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/if-you-want-to-join-the-republican-party-they-have-to-let-you-in/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [Brian came back in on the road and Al stayed, but Al's the original member of the group.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-johnston/brian-came-back-in-on-the-road-and-al-stayed-but-al-s-the-original/) [Bruce Johnston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-johnston/) > [News is the backbone of our network; the main commodity and the main successes of Al Jazeera came out of our involvement in covering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wadah-khanfar/news-is-the-backbone-of-our-network-the-main-commodity-and-the-main/) [Wadah Khanfar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wadah-khanfar/) > [And beyond that, the next issue is how do we guarantee one of these weapons, not necessarily this missile, but nuclear weapons ends up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-eagleburger/and-beyond-that-the-next-issue-is-how-do-we-guarantee-one-of-these/) [Lawrence Eagleburger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-eagleburger/) > [I started, actually, as an analyst on African affairs, mainly on Al Jazeera. I remember the first few series were about Saudi students, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wadah-khanfar/i-started-actually-as-an-analyst-on-african-affairs-mainly-on-al/) [Wadah Khanfar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wadah-khanfar/) > [That is because the conflict with al Qaeda is not governed by the Geneva Conventions, which applies only to international conflicts between states that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-yoo/that-is-because-the-conflict-with-al-qaeda-is-not-governed-by-the/) [John Yoo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-yoo/) > [Bin Laden is dead, and most of his friends are dead. But did it need to cost a trillion dollars and two land wars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-engel/bin-laden-is-dead-and-most-of-his-friends-are-dead-but-did-it-need-to/) [Richard Engel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-engel/) > [Mistreatment of al Qaeda members and their friends and hangers-on is something I number among my moral concerns. But it's number 1,000,000,001.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/mistreatment-of-al-qaeda-members-and-their-friends-and-hangers-on-is/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [Success means eliminating Al Qaeda's ability to launch terrorist attacks against the United States and our allies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-greitens/success-means-eliminating-al-qaeda-s-ability-to-launch-terrorist/) [Eric Greitens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-greitens/) [Browse all 218 Al quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/al/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If Barack Obama now, or some black person in the future, should become president, neither Jesse Jackson nor Al Sharpton would be out of a job. 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