Black Reaction to Obama Mixed as He Starts Second Term

William Julius Wilson Harvard sociologist William Julius Wilson praised Obama to the New York Times. “Obama very effectively used positive messages to bring the racial and ethnic groups together, not divide them. He went on to say, “In terms of race and ethnic relations, he is the right president during these hard economic times because social tensions are indeed high.”

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Cornel West critical of Obama before president’s second inauguration.

After Barack Obama in 2008 became the first black man to win a presidential election in the United States, he became a hero to people both in and outside of the African-American community. As he embarks on a second term in office, however, Obama has earned his fair share of critics. Among his notable detractors are African Americans who feel that he has not done enough to help blacks overcome economic, educational and other barriers as the Rev. Martin Luther King had. Here’s what prominent blacks such as Cornel West and Debra Lee of BET had to say about Obama as he prepared for his second inauguration.