by Gloria Dulan-Wilson
I rode down to Baltimore recently, on one of the Chinese Bus lines, to attend a special family reunion with my Uncle, who is nearly 80, and was visiting here from the left coast (a/k/a California).
Normally I do most of my travel at night, because it’s hard to get out of New York - we’re always doing something. So I generally take the last or next to the last bus out. But this time I did something different - and I’m glad I did. I left New York at 7:00 AM (needless to say I did not go to bed, because for me to leave at 7:00 means I had to be up by 5:00, to get out of the house by 6:00 to get there by 7:00 AM in the first place. No self-respecting night owl, such as myself, would ever do that. So, yes, I was up all night. Thank goodness you can do that in New York.)
As we were rolling down I-95, I began to notice miles and miles of heavy equipment and construction equipment. I noticed that certain portions of the turnpike were in various stages of repair (they need to do that in NYC as well, I can point out some pothole heavens that could easily destroy an axle.)
In Jersey, there was construction going on. In Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland -- highways being constructed, repaired, expanded, re-routed. What was up? Was it a coincidence that all the interstate highways seemed to be undergoing some sort of massive construction?
And it suddenly dawned on me -- these are some of the “shovel ready” projects that were being underwritten by President Barack Obama’s Stimulus funds, allocated to jump start a stalled economy. However, you would never know it because it was taking places in different states, and the signage you see when local government is doing the work was conspicuously absent from these projects.
So I want to propose something to help those who flap their gums about what the President hasn’t done, or needs to do: I want his public relations people to immediately construct and erect the same huge billboards with the name of the particular stimulus fund project on it, and the caption: THIS PROJECT OR EVENT OR BUILDING MADE POSSIBLE BECAUSE OF THE FORESIGHT OF PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA TO ALLOCATE $hundreds of trillions in stimulus funds for (THE NAME OF YOUR STATE/HIGHWAY HERE). Beside the billboard they must have a beautiful photo of President Obama smiling that wonderful smile of his, and signing the paperwork that got the Stimulus Fund started. And maybe on the other side have him with two thumbs up showing the progress is being made.
Every where there is a project that has benefitted from those funds, we must have signs saying: "Your stimulus dollars at work!!
I guarantee if we construct such a sign for each and every stimulus fund program or project that is benefiting from these funds, not only will the billboard industry benefit from an injection of stimulus dollars, but the ignorance and the lies will die down. Then to further promulgate his accomplishments, let's design little mini-comic books for our youth and those adults who never made it, also depicting his progress. He doesn't necessarily have to wear a super hero costume, but it can be IMPLIED, so that no one overlooks the inferences.
Now, I also propose that President Obama go beyond the White House staffers who routinely write, or synopsize his actions, and reach out to those of us in the media who live here in the communities who can also write good copy about his programs and their positive effect on our community and readership. We love him and we are very CREATIVE, and eager to set the record straight in his behalf (in point of fact, that's exactly what we do constantly and continuously; would be great to be paid for it).
We can call it BLOGGING FOR OBAMA!!!!! We are the frontline antidote for vicious mainstream media that would and often does, constantly and consistently distort, or block his messages.
That stimulus money would not only help us, but will make it possible for us to likewise help others who are interested in working with us in furtherance of speaking the truth to power, and providing essential information to a populace long suffering under decades of lies and propaganda foisted upon them by a media who has tried to be the only show in town.
The other billboard we need should be one that is a constantly updatable one that can be seen from the freeways, as well as on the streets. It should say “THANK YOU PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA FOR THE FOLLOWING:
It would then list his accomplishments, starting with the most recent first, and continuing to list them from the day he took his oath of office to the present date. Each time the President accomplishes something else, the billboard will list it, without eliminating the others that are also part of the accomplishments he’s done in such a short time.
Then, just for fun, let’s have a friendly reminder that appears in the Newspapers and on our blogs on a consistent basis:
THAT WAS THEN, THIS IS NOW: Contrasting under “then” the economic down turn; under the NOW, the things the President has accomplished -- maybe with some animated or cartoon illustrations (we need good political satirists) who can help make this happen.
These are only a handful of things we, writers, speakers, and media specialists can do NOW in behalf of ourselves and our President, to make sure that these miscreants are no longer the strident voices being given the most focus.
You can also pledge to not reprint hostile or derogatory information about President Obama. I have made it plain that not only will I not accept or reprint it, but I will cut the writer off from my list. I am not supporting that so called “objective” crap -- since most of it is motivated by racism. Now of course, our President cannot make such accusations, no matter how true they are -- and the mainstream media is counting on this to be able to maintain a clear field in their nefarious move of character assassination and blatant propaganda.
They also prey on the gullibility factor that far too many Americans are guilty of, coupled with an inborn redneckism that some have hard wired in their dna.
We, on the other hand have a truth filter that will not allow this kind of reprehensible behavior to continue unchallenged. We need both head to head confrontation, hand to hand combat (via headlines and refutations) and guerilla warfare, via our churches, community centers, Sororities and Fraternities and all of our civil rights, civic and social organizations. We have to become and stay OBAMACIZED.
We have to be able to speak truth to power the way our president does, with that same assured smile on our face, but with just a little more oomph! To let the enemy know that we’re not playing.
Just so you know, this letter is definitely going to be posted on my blog; but it is also going to the National Newspaper Publisher Association (NNPA); the NYABJ and the ABJ - association of Black journalists; the National Urban League, the NAACP, CORE, National Black Public Relations Specialists Association (NBPRSA); Association of Black Social Workers; the Black Ministerial Alliance - and all the rest of those who should be standing shoulder to shoulder backing and advancing for President Barack Obama, and for those who are currently running for office or re-election who will be instrumental in making sure he has and maintains the conscientious majority in the Congress he needs to continue to get the job done.
Don’t think that you only have to come out and support President Obama in 2012. This is an ongoing battle. It requires each and every one of us diligently doing our job, taking out our time, taking the principled, hard line stand to back him and the people who support him as well.
By the way, when you see those bogus polls, like the one CBS is currently running, rating the President's performance thus far, make sure you take out time to complete it. But also let them know that we want to see a poll that ranks President Obama's performance in comparison to his predecessor. The poll is only valid when it's comparing appropriate categories. For instance, how Obama is doing in the economy should also be juxtaposed against the economy and how the predecessor had done over the same approximate time. It also helps to know what phase of the economy they're referring to. Bottom line, the more we respond to the so-called surveys, the less likely they are to continue putting that b.s. out there. Of course, we could also run some polls of our own.
There is a primary election here in New York. No doubt there are primaries around the US. We have to expose the devil (I.e. republicans and their so-called Tea Party/Sarah Palin/Bush hang over/Rove charlatans for who and what they are. WE HAVE TO VOTE THEM OUT of office, and make sure we VOTE IN those who walk the walk and talk the talk - OBAMA STYLE.
Unless you got forty more years to wander around in the wilderness waiting for the next great Black break through to come through, this is it -- so let’s make it the best 8 years with the best Black (or any other) President this country or the White House, or the world has ever witnessed.
Though the title says Black Public Relations for President Obama, I'm not closing the doors on our brothers and sisters who admire him from Japan, China, Africa, Latin America,India, Brazil and South America, Austrailia, Great Britain, Ireland, France, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Germany and other parts of the world. We welcome your support as well. As long as it's positive, the message will definitely go forth.
Public relations people the world over, and here in the US, start your spin.
We’ve got a great and mighty work to do!
Stay Blessed &
ECLECTICALLY BLACK
Gloria Dulan-Wilson
