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The Men of Medgar, an emerging club, recently presented a roundtable discussion on the new meaning of blackness and manhood in the age of Obama. Entitled "Solid As Barack: the Meaning of Obama for Black Men", the meeting successfully brought out a culturally diverse group of young black men and women, students and faculty. Hosted by Larry Martin, director of the Male Development and Empowerment Center (MDEC), the discussion raised many profound questions in light of this monumental change in our country.

Has Obama's image demanded a new standard of manhood? Before young black men can aspire to be like Barack, more of them need to be "proactive as intellectuals…" says history professor Delridge L. Hunter. Kwaku Osei-Qutu, a conscious young man explained it best, "[Obama] is the next level of development for black men. Because he had the experience of traveling the world, he became educated…" Talking to the many young black males out there, "we gotta get out of this [mentality] of 'it's them versus me'…people don't respond to aggression, they just look at you as just another angry black man just doing what angry black people do".

One of the ways black men, and women, can become proactive intellectuals is to think progressively about black identity. "Blackness is a state of mind", said Eric Daniels, Vice President of the Men of Medgar. During the campaign, the issue of whether Obama was black enough was repeatedly raised. Eugenio Villarreal, another conscious young intellect, empathized with the complexities of Obama's identity. He affirmed that "if you see me in your community or in class, you would not question if I was black or white. But if I was running for office and [people] looked into my background [and discovered that], 'oh, he was born in Columbia?' or 'he speaks Spanish?', then [blacks might say], 'well, I don't know if I could relate to him' ". The ongoing debate of who is black enough are "remnants of mental slavery", says Villarreal. "This is that initial division that causes us from ever getting anywhere" as a people. Osei-Qutu, who had his back, reminded everyone that "a lot of people of African descent are [historical] biracial".

Two years ago, many Americans had never even heard of Barack Obama. He became an overnight sensation within a year. With the sudden rise to the White House, is it realistic for young black men to aspire to be like Obama, when our culture continues to project an imbalance of healthy images of ourselves. Despite it not celebrating, or acknowledging, black intellectuals and professionals, "there are millions of [them out there] that never get protrayed in the media", said the outspoken Osei-Qutu. In order for black men to meet the new standards that Obama has set as a starting point, "we must transcend…and open our eyes to see that Barack Obama is common" and not an anomaly, he expressed. "[Obama's ascension] shouldn't be something we are surprise to see". Because there was such a huge gap left unfilled since the death of Dr. King and Malcolm, the impassionate young man explained that "the problem with us [is that] we're surprise when we see our own people achieve greatness".

In contrast to that, Alan Newton, Member Services of The Men of Medgar, fervently expressed that, "it's a little extreme to tell our kids 'you can grow up to be like Obama [because] we don't even tell [them] how important it is to go and finish school. We got to focus on the basic things first, like respect for our community…" He conveyed that "I'm hoping that young kids would say, 'I wanna get involved in my community…instead of saying 'I wanna be president' ".

As we all know, Barack Obama started his career as a community organizer, a term he coined. In the black community, there has always been an ongoing attitude of apathy when it comes to politics. Theodore Andrews, a student, confirmed that when it comes to "getting involve in local politics, for decades people felt their local leaders were not bringing about change" in their community. Many young black men and women "who didn't think politics was cool or that the history of being educated was cool" saw Obama's success completely contrast that.

However, Newton expressed that, "I used to get upset when people would get involved in the presidential elections than local elections". He acknowledged that, "if you ask the average person in their community who their city councilman is or who their state representative is, they have no idea. They were so involved in getting out there and voting on Election Day [that] now they can't even access Barack". In referring to our black population, "[We] can't have influence on a presidency as a people if [we] don't have influence on [our] own city councilmen", says Newton. He affirmed that "there's still…a lot of people [who] are not involve in what's going on… a lot of our black neighborhoods are controlled by white politicians. The only way we can help [Obama] is to start helping our own communities".

The very next day after the election and the inauguration, the culture of "brothas on the corner callin' each other 'nigga', pants hangin' off their butts, callin' females all kinds of names" continued to exist, said Anthony Phifer, coordinator of the Office of Services for the Differently-Abled. The question remains, has Obama's image really resonated with our young black men?

Phifer illustrated that "there was a large Caucasian population that did not vote for Obama….everything we do, as a people, will serve as a reflection on him…if we change how we treat, speak and interact with each other, [Whites] might say, 'wow, change has happen' ". Phifer reiterated that "from day one, Obama always stated, 'I can't did it alone'. It's up to us to serve as positive examples of him".

What role do black men have in the future of America and the global community? The club's considered-president, Waleek Boone, aims "to inform brothas that things aren't gonna change just because [Obama's] president….we just can't sit on our butts" and not get involve. Delrigde Hunter, a self-proclaimed organizer stated that "organization is critical". One small way the college can contribute is to "create an atmosphere…where chess tables [can be] put up in the lodges…jazz [can be] played everywhere" on campus. Cuyler Cohen, member of the Philosophy and Religion Club, agreed that "[Obama's] ability to achieve where he's at came from him being a student. We, as students, gotta be the ones to make the change. Our image changes with us".

In addition to what the club is about to do, MDEC continues to serve 100 or so men regularly. "We offer tutoring, mentoring, special workshops, activities…. We have community partnerships and special outreach programs…and created affinity groups for men to get involve. Our greatest challenge is letting people know what we do and telling our story", explains its director Mr. Martin. Open roundtable discussions such as this is the first step the Center can begin to increase its visibility. "Many movements went off ground…with simple individuals sharing ideas, [laying the] ground work of grassroots movements", says Villarreal.

As we embark upon this new age of redefining black male identity and its effects on our community, is it too soon to stay how Obama's image will greatly impact our black brothas? Myles McAfee, director of the Film and Culture Series, said it best, "as long as we've been living under white supremacy, we have a lot of un-doing to do....we must be committed to doing more".

To learn more about the Men of Medgar, MDEC or increase more male involvement in the community, contact Larry Martin at 718-270-6405 or lmartin@mec.cuny.edu.

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