[Editor's Note: A pet peeve of mine is when folks TYPE IN UPPERCASE! I hate it, but I don't know how else to convey the tone of what I'm feeling as I write this. So forgive me in advance, and also forgive me if the tone of this post is somewhat sexist. But I gotta get this sh*t off my chest.]
Okay, here's what I don't get... Sistas get all up in arms about NBA players, entertainers, and ballers choosing white women. Reams of books, magazine articles, movies, and music have been written over this very "betrayal". Hell, I even saw Judge Toler berate some poor Negro the other day, because his wife accused him of cheating with a white chick.
Naturally, I don't agree with the sentiment. Like who you like, love who you love, bed whom you wanna bed. It's a free country. I happened to choose a black woman because, hey, I just love black women. But if you're happy, get yours. End of story.
On a somewhat related note, Barack Obama will soon have an opening on the Supreme Court, and the administration seems quite vocal about appointing a woman to replace Justice Souter. The names bandied around thus far are the typical mix of Obama appointees. White men. White women. Latino women. Chicagoans. Only one freakin' name on the widely considered list is a black woman, and that's Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Leah Ward Sears. I did would Wiki-ing about Judge Sears, and found some very good stuff in her bio.
Leah Ward Sears (born June 13, 1955) is Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the U.S. state of Georgia. She is also Chair of the Judicial Council of Georgia, the 200 million dollar agency in charge of the state judicial system. When sworn in on June 28, 2005, Sears became the first African-American female Chief Justice in the United States. When she was first appointed as justice in 1992 by then Governor Zell Miller, she became the first woman and youngest person to sit on the Supreme Court of Georgia.Call me crazy, but she sounds pretty qualified to me. So why the hell isn't she at the top of most of these lists, rather than buried at the bottom, almost as a "we gotta include at least one Black"-style afterthought?
Chief Justice Sears received her B.S. from Cornell University in 1976, her J.D. from Emory University School of Law in 1980 and an LL.M from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1995. At Cornell, she was a member of the Quill and Dagger society. Chief Justice Sears is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated. She holds honorary degrees from Morehouse College, Clark-Atlanta University, LaGrange College and Piedmont College.
Sears was named in January 2009 as one of five finalists to become dean of the University of Maryland School of Law.[3] However, in February 2009, Sears withdrew her name from consideration, in order to pursue other opportunities.
Sears was appointed by then-Mayor Andrew Young to the City of Atlanta Traffic Court in 1985. She then became a Superior Court judge in 1988 (the first African-American woman to hold that position in the state). She became a state Supreme Court justice in 1992.
Although historically a non-partisan election, the Georgia Republican Party and Georgia Christian Coalition targeted Sears for defeat in 2004. Based in large part on her highly regarded record, she defeated her challenger with 62% of the vote.
Contrast that with this.
Nearly one-fourth of voters in last November's election were minorities, the most diverse election ever, fueled by high turnout from black women and a growing Hispanic population, an independent research group found.Okay, sistas, here's what it all comes down to. I know ya'll love Michelle. I know ya'll love da' kids. I know ya'll love The FlatIron From Heaven, and seeing a sista sleeping in the White House (legally) is inspiring. But imagine the impact of having a sista on The Freakin' Supreme Court!!!!
The study by the Pew Research Center, released Thursday, also showed that for the first time blacks had the highest voter turnout rate of any racial or ethnic group among people ages 18 to 29. Analysts said it remained to be seen how fully the strong minority participation, a reflection of both changing U.S. demographics and enthusiasm for Democrat Barack Obama, would carry over to future elections.
In 2008, about 65 percent of blacks went to the polls, nearly matching the 66 percent voting rate for whites. Black women had the highest rates of participation among all voters at 69 percent (!!!!!) they were followed by white women (68 percent), white men (64 percent) and black men (61 percent).
The numbers above don't lie. Black women showed up and showed out, and helped Barack get into office. Period.
I think it's time for ya'll (yeah, I said it.. ya'll) to demand some payment for your hard work. How many black women are Cabinet heads in the Obama Administration? Zero. Besides the Chicago Cronies and Homegirls he's got in various WH and Advisory positions, how many Black women has this Beige Negro actually given some real power to? Zero.
Here's your chance, Black woman: Stand Up and DEMAND that The Beige One appoint Leah Ward Sears to the SCOTUS! Don't ask nicely, DEMAND it!!!
For all the foo foo herstory of Michelle-O, reality is, she might very well be back on the Southside in 2012 if sh*t don't get better. But SCOTUS appointments are forever. They're real power, not just cool sh*t that looks great in Essence and makes you feel all tingly inside.
[Editor's Note: No, that is NOT a diss at Michelle-O folks, don't even get started with the comments!]
I know some of ya'll are sayin, "AB, we are postracial now. Get off the identity politricks tip!" Bullcrap! ALL POLITRICKS is IDENTITY POLITRICKS!!! Every person is chosen to fill a certain niche, to satisfy a certain electorate. Always has been, always will be. So since the administration itself floated the "we want a woman" angle, why shouldn't that woman be black? Why do we always have to "wait our turn"? Wasn't "no longer waiting your turn" part of why folks elected Obama in the first place? So miss me with that "it doesn't matter if she's black, white or latino" bullsh*t. It does matter.
I've heard some folks say Obama needs to appoint a Latina to this post to solidify the Hispanic vote. This would be a two pronged strategy, as attacking this woman during confirmation would only make the GOP look more like the a-holes they are. Bullcrap! How about he does Black America a solid and gives us some SCOTUS representation for a change? Black folks haven't exactly had a voice over there since Thurgood Marshall died. What about US, Barack? What about US?
Seriously, how come EVERYONE ELSE has gotten a come-up in Barry's Administration BUT the very folks who showed up most for him? How ludicrous is that? Imagine if Hilary had become President and chosen a bunch of white dudes. White chicks would be PISSED.
So why ain't ya'll, sista? Why ain't ya'll?
Question: If I'm waaay outta bounds with my assertion that Obama should appoint Sears (or someone similar) to that post, please explain to me why.
Blacks match whites in voting rates in 2008 [AP]
Leah Ward Sears Wiki
