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D.C.’s Mayor Fenty is commonly thought of as part of a “new generation” of Black politicians that includes men like Newark, N.J. Mayor Cory Booker, former Tenn. congressman and N.Y. Senate hopeful Harold Ford, Jr., and President Barack Obama. What they all have in common is that they’ve found acceptance among a broad base of constituents rather than just within the Black community, like the Jesse Jacksons and Al Sharptons that came before them. However, as Fenty’s standing among Black D.C. residents declines (see Washington Post story below), and President Obama begins coming under fire from Black leaders for not having a “Black agenda,” one begins to wonder: For this next generation of Black politicians, does all their “mainstream” acceptance inevitably come at the cost of Black voters’ faith and trust? Time will tell. – NewsOne Staff

From the Washington Post:

Mayor Adrian M. Fenty was racing through the District’s Southeast neighborhoods, shoveling sidewalks for seniors in Fairlawn, whacking tennis balls with youngsters in Hillcrest and posing for photos with teenage boxers at a recreation center in Bellevue.

Four years ago, these predominantly African American communities embraced the young, energetic street-level campaigner, giving Fenty strong majorities to help him win in all wards and across the city’s demographic groups. But the smiles and handshakes at his public appearances last month belie the mayor’s vulnerability, particularly among blacks, as he seeks reelection in the fall.

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Interviews with residents and former city officials and a recent Washington Post poll show that Fenty has been traipsing through hostile territory. While the mayor’s approval rating has dropped throughout the city, nowhere are his numbers more troubling than in predominantly black wards 7 and 8.

The divide between how whites and blacks view Fenty has much to do with the gap between expectation and experience, and the view among many African Americans that the mayor is insensitive to their needs and more aligned with the wave of gentrifiers who are diluting the District’s longstanding black majority.

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  • http://www.blackplanet.com/ashley118059/ ashley118059

    Its apparent that “BLACK” people are getting fed up with the Uncle Toms and Sell Outs (White men in Black or Near Black Skin) taking office and giving Blacks the cold shoulder, choosing to cater to the needs of White America instead. Im so glad that everyones not brainwashed and loosing sight of whats happening. Kudos to the Black Citizens of D.C. who has Awaken.

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/Real_bumbleclot/ Real_bumbleclot

    I agree Ashley

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/blkman6ft6_inla/ blkman6ft6_inla

    most blacks in office no they cant do much for blacks because as soon as you start tellng the truth blacks dont want to here the truth most of the problems blacks are having is from making poor choices such as making babies out of wedlock which is bad news for most kids because there mothers will more then likely wined up on food stamps.

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/ashley118059/ ashley118059

    @ blkman6ft6_inla. You sound stupid ass hell, its obvious your one of the sell outs im speaking of. I wouldnt be surprised if u were a half breed. You guys are always quick to bash black women, bringing up welfare and food stamps, get the f**k out of here! Stop Steriotyping and be real!! The phoneys could do alot for blacks if they WANTED to, theyre not even putting forth a effort. Someone having a child out of wedlock has nothing to do with it, and its not just black women, its all women!! I bet your ass dont have a problem F**KING out of WEDLOCK! do you?? f**king hypocrite. You know i speak the truth and u obviously have a personnal problem with black women for you to bring BLACK WOMEN up out the blue. Sit your BIASED ass down somewhere. These politicians are uncle toms and elitist. Only concerned about themselves and their career, theyll throw their own mother under the bus for a few dollars.No ones stupid, try again.

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/sexxyb2/ sexxyb2

    What has he done since getting in office “NOTHING” he needs to be challenged by a good candidate that will lookout for everybody regardless of being black or white

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/alrtr6/ alrtr6

    @ ashley118059. I’m Black and proud! Born, raised, and still live in the inner city and giving back! I had a two parent household that insisted on me going to college! I love me some Black women! But check yourself, then check the facts and statistics! In 1950 85% of Black households were married! In 1965 that number was 70%! Today that number is 30%! The biggest crisis facing us today is us! Until we can deal with us, there is no moving foward or having much of a voice! We now have the right to education and it’s free and we have birth control via Rowe vs. Wade from the early 1970s! We have far more tools than any Black people had 50 years ago, but we aren’t much better off! Our community is suffering because of tryin’ to be playa azz ninjas and teenage girls who fall for their lame azz game because neither has a mature family base to tell them… insist to them otherwise because they were kids themselves when they had kids! So the sh.. is cyclical and we need to break the damn cycle! That’s our responsibility! No one elses. So some of these politicians may be out for their’s (that’s the case Black, White or other), but as for the President… Do you really think he can go give a Stokely Carmicheal or Huey Newton impression his 1st year in office and ever expect to get a thing done after that??? Let’s use our heads and be mature about this! It’s a slow process at best!

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/CCJKMOT-1906/ CCJKMOT-1906

    Fenty = Fail

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/FodayB/ FodayB

    As a native of Northeast Washington and a resident of the DC Metro area, I am proud of the Job Mayor Fenthy is doing. Has he been perfect? No, but he has done a lot to improve the average daily lives of every Washingtonian. He hired Michelle Rhee who is trying to fix our broken school system and has faced opposition from some of the very African American school teachers that are responsible for the failures of the dc public school system. Everybody knows that the only way out of poverty is to get a very good education that would enable you to get out of the ghetto and to make something out of your life. Some of these folks are allergic to change and want things to stay the same, that’s why they were very supportive of Marion “Snort Cocaine” Barry. Wake up people. Whites, Asians and other immigrants coming to this country have continued to climb the economic ladder, while we continue to stay at the bottom. WAKE UP PEOPLE, WAKE UP.

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/jameshops14/ jameshops14

    Hi everyone.I am a black man .I love being black and i would not trade my black skin for nothing .I remember growing on luzon avenue when dc was called chocolate city.Being black was all that in the city .Oh how things have changed .Now I have noticed how there is a fluz of white people taking over dc.I have no problem with white people.I have noticed that where the white people are there is all this new development going on.Why didn’t development come to the city when it was majority black?This creates divisions it does not bring anyone together I am fully aware as a black man that this racism without a doubt .Now there are starbucks on every corner not for the blacks we all know we don’t spend money on that .For us there are liquor store on every corner.White people we’re not pushed out of dc they left because they did not want to be associated with blacks i remember the racial tension of the eighties when they left i was a child.The white moved to the suburbs thinking that it cost more to live there so the black people would not be in those nieghborhoods .This is what is happening to dc they are building all these high priced condos ,putting trolley trains in the city ,now all of a sudden walmart wants to put a store in the city why now it is because of the presence of white people.Things such as this can only be permitted that one group gets respect above all other’s when there is a disconnect and this is not small time stuff this has been planned out thoroughly from high places .I have experienced the lighter skinned black man trying to belittle me on a job i used to have and i checked his behind i don’t care what he was told as a child my mother raised me to treat other’s the way you want them to treat you .I pray everyday that god protects me and delivers from my enemies.I have a brother who biracial and he does not deny his blackness,you have some biracial people who think as if they are better than darker skin toned blacks thay have been brainwashed.God created us all out of his own image so why isn’t tht enough that everyone get a piece of the pie not executives ,rich republicans and democrats ,wall street the white communities all over the country.remember katrina.

  • http://newsone.com/nation/news-one-staff/d-c-mayor-adrian-fenty-surpasses-2006-fundraising-record/ D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty Surpasses 2006 Fundraising Record | News One

    [...] Mayor Fenty Faces Racial Divide In Race For Re-Election Recommend to friends! [...]

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