Dr. Boyce: My Call From the Obama Administration

I got a call the other day from someone in the Obama Administration. I get a sense that key players in the administration read Black Voices in order to determine what the black community is thinking. While I found the correspondence with the official to be respectful and pleasant, I felt that my opinions on policy are not the ones that he should want the most. So, with all necessary respect to the privacy of our correspondence, I want to pass this onto you.

The problem for the Obama Administration when it comes to hearing from prominent black voices is this:

Black newspapers are dying and media is changing dramatically. So many of the black daily newspapers (and radio stations) that have traditionally served as valuable platforms in the black community are no longer in existence. Ebony and Jet magazines are having financial trouble. I would even dare say that the challenges for Essence magazine are likely protected by their merger with Time Warner. That leaves us with the Internet: a symbol of tremendous opportunity but a reminder of the grave despair of traditional media.

Black Voices is the leading black news website in America. By engaging with them, you have a direct voice into the Obama administration. The Administration needs to hear that voice, because they should at least be aware of the implications of their African American policies before they are released. I hope you will leave your comments and feel empowered to tell the president and anyone else reading what you think. I also hope that those in the Obama Administration who read those comments understand that our community has now learned the value of holding our president accountable, no matter what his race may be.

First and foremost, I'd love to hear comments on the success (or lack thereof) of President Obama's first 100 days in office. A video below breaks it all down. Take a look!

Dr. Boyce Watkins is a finance professor at Syracuse University. He is also the author of the forthcoming book, "Black American Money." To have Dr Boyce's commentary delivered directly to your e-mail, please click here.