Hadiya Pendleton’s Funeral: No Easy Answer for Obama
Writing at his website, Earl Ofari Hutchinson weighs in on the debate surrounding whether President Obama should attend the funeral of the 15-year-old girl who was gunned down on the South Side of Chicago soon after performing at his inaugural festivities.
The clamor continues for President Obama to attend the funeral of 15 year old honor student Hadiya Pendleton gunned down on a Southside Chicago street. There’s even an online petition on the White House website imploring Obama to attend. The petition delicately sidesteps the issue of race and whether black lives are less valued than those of whites. But the glaring fact is that Pendleton’s murder unlike that of countless other virtually nameless and faceless young African-American victims of murder violence in Chicago and other inner city neighborhoods made national news because she had returned to Chicago just days earlier from performing at Obama’s inaugural festivities.
Obama has certainly not ignored Pendleton’s horrendous murder. He deplored the killing and offered compassion and support directly to her family. The family has publicly expressed their appreciation for his outreach to them. However for many that’s simply not enough. The constant carp is that Obama went to Aurora, Colorado and Newtown, Connecticut and expressed sympathy for the victims of the mass slaughter in both places. They incessantly remind that blacks, and that foremost includes blacks in Chicago, have been the biggest, most enthusiastic of his supporters, and in several states pivotal to his election and reelection triumphs.
The heavy inference is that Obama owes blacks more than just distant words of support, but concrete action. And since gun violence has been a relentless and horrific plague in poor black communities, and he’s on a crusade against it, Pendleton’s funeral should be a mandatory stop for him to send the strong message that black lives are just as important as any others. These are painful points to ponder …
The push for Obama to attend Pendleton’s funeral, though, begs the question of whether he has a special obligation to appear at every victim of violence’s funeral. The answer is no.
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As of this morning… the news was reporting that there is no longer any need for a debate over this funeral.
AND ….First Lady Michelle Obama will attend the funeral for HADIYAH the teenager shot in Chicago recently.
http://thegrio.com/2013/02/07/michelle-obama-to-attend-hadiya-pendleton-funeral/
SOME HAD SAID THAT …’Obama does not care about Black folks.” But that is a highly questionable claim …since he has put quite a bit of info, resource, etc. on the WHITE HOUSE website specifically for AFRICAN AMERICANS…. including PROCLAMATIONS and EDUCATIONAL INITIATIVES.
Instead of our “so-called” leaders…politicians, preachers, writers, scholars, celebrities, rappers, athletes, and pundits engaging in so much bickering over Obama…they should try to find some solutions and common ground.
Have you looked at any of it ?????
Hutchinson and Sharpton are the Obama pit bulls. We owe Tavis an apology
Pres Obama really doesn’t OWE his presence to ANYONE’S funeral. Yes her school band was at the inaugural, which is Great but he does not have to attend. FLOTUS will be in attendance and if he did show up it would take away from Her and Her grieving Family. Then next week, when there’s a killing in Chicago that family will be expecting him to attend. He is not obligated to show up, PERIOD! And Tavis Smiley needs no apology. Did he attend the funeral? Because now people will be saying he didn’t attend the funeral of the Sandy Hook children or Teacher or Principle’s funeral! People wake up and get a real life and TRY and make a change, so this won’t happen again!
I am glad First Lady of United States is attending the Funeral.
I wonder what she will be wearing
A lttle late in the game..but the sheeple are starting to awaken. Don’t worry..Miss. Daisey (mrs Clinton) a real sista girl..gonna save all da Colored folks. Ol’ happy day..i can just see us all, once again buck-dancing in da streets.. A change you can reallly believe in..like all that pie in the sky when you die. Wake up !
yep, might be too late though
I wonder what she will be wearing….
Why her funeral and not another child’s funeral who lost their life to senseless violence?? How do we as black people pick and choose whose life is worth attention and mourning.