Barack Obama Interview on Black Students’ Political Involvement

Last year, Barack Obama was interviewed by The Black Collegian and Black College Wire about his views on black students’ political involvement.

TBC/BCW: Senator, welcome and thank you for granting us this interview. To begin: We saw and felt the pain of powerless people in New Orleans during and after Hurricane Katrina. What can African Americans, students in particular, do to gain more political power?

Sen. Obama: Well, the first thing is getting informed. When I think about my own career…I wasn’t somebody who was active in politics or public issues when I was in high school. But, when I was a freshman in college, a group of African National Congress representatives came to visit my campus. I recall for the first time thinking what were my responsibilities to help shape the larger world. I became active in the anti-Apartheid movement.

I think every student has the opportunity to get involved in some issue and get informed. It doesn’t have to be the same issue. There are times in our history when one particular issue like the civil rights movement or the Vietnam War focuses everybody’s attention, but there are times when people just make a determination that they’re interested in issues of hunger or education. Whatever it is, I think people getting engaged and involved in some fashion would not only be good for the issue but would be good for them. It’ll give them the opportunity to start seeing how, with a little bit of sweat and effort, they can actually have a surprising impact on the world out there.

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