Where was/is the black leadership in this country?

Unless there was a media blackout (sorry) over the last two years, it seems like there's been a serious lack of strong black leadership. I don't know if anyone is expecting another Martin Luther King to emerge, but what's the story with black colleges, black fraternities, black churches, black athletes, black actors, black professors...Of course each of those categories and many more were represented to one extent or another, I know I'm painting with a broad brush. But I'm pretty sure most people will get the gist of what I'm saying.

Am I completely off the mark here???

For blacks, for whites, for anyone, really.

is either attacked mercilessly or killed outright (in a plane crash or however)

Corporatists, theocrats and neocons all want the masses leaderless.

when they tried to fight the disenfranchisement in florida and elsewhere in 2000, I guess they did.

there was a media blackout.

I can't for the life of me figure out why we're not seeing this kind of thing today.

Let's see Black folks were totally fed up...

Civil Rights Act grudgingly allowed
Watts Riots a few years ago
Martin Luther King assassinated (a big cahuna civil rights issue), with a nation full of riots
Robert Kennedy assassinated (another big cahuna civil rights issue)
Vietnam conflict...

So there was a lot to be pissed off about. Blacks figured out the only way to get influence and change was through power. And concluded the power was in them and they began to show it unabashedly. Henceforth the salute at the Olympics.

We have to use the power within us to influence change. And I don't want to see any more deaths like MLK nnd RFK to get us back to where we were in 1968.

I really think that man can save America.

Barack Obama is the only bright light for me right now. An amazing man.

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But this is an issue I'm greatly interested in seeing discussed further. I would love any thoughts or insights especially from African Americans. But also from anyone else who has thought about this.

The "movement" was assimilated by the Democratic party, which has marginalized it to the point of meaninglessness. Except when it's voting time.

If Obama doesn't sellout and become assimilated by the hacks, he is a bright light. He certainly impresses the hell out of me.

Black leadership isn't like what it used to be. Many who were around during the 1960's are getting to old and dying out. Groups like the NAACP and Jessie Jackson are out of touch with the young black population. I see no connection. And then there's an economic gap between middle class blacks and poor blacks - they no longer live in the same neighborhood.

It's this young selfish-"i don't give a damn about anyone else"-generation that scares the hell out of me. You can see some of them in rap and hip/hop videos on MTV. All they do is promote commercialism. They don't vote. All they seem to do is think about getting some booty. It's sad.

We need to heal amongst ourselves first.