President Obama Speaks on Race and Trayvon Martin

Last Saturday a Florida jury determined that George Zimmerman was not guilty in the death of Trayvon Martin. For those of you reading this who may not be aware, in February of 2012, Trayvon Martin was walking home from the store when he was approached by Mr. Zimmerman. A fight ensues and Trayvon is left dead. It turns out George Zimmerman had been following Trayvon in his vehicle, and when he asked a 911 operator whether or not he should go after Trayvon, he was told, "we don't need you to do that." Despite this, he ignored the operator and pursued him anyway. So what exactly was that suspicious looking man in the neighborhood armed with that Zimmerman decided to pursue? A pack of Skittles and an Arizona Ice Tea. I gave my thoughts about this case last year.

In the following days across the United States there were protests in cities from New York to L.A. In New York's Time Square, protesters halted traffic dead in its tracks with the streets swelling with thousands of hurt, angry and disappointed people. It wasn't just the fact that George Zimmerman was found not guilty, but that he wasn't even initially arrested until people started protesting. Many talking heads on the news networks stated their opinions on the verdict, but it seemed everyone (well, many black folks at least) was waiting on the thoughts of one man in particular.

Did On Screen Black Presidents Pave Way for Obama?

Well ladies and gentlemen, it's that time of year again. The news cycles are once again roaring up for another presidential election. I must be honest, nearly three years since Barack Obama's inauguration, I'm still stunned that a black man is president of these here United States.

Now in the years since Obama's election, many things have been attributed to his achievement of becoming the first black president. People say he ran a solid campaign. Others say he engaged the youth like few politicians have. Millions were wowed by his great speeches, and some would even say his early adoption of social media was a deciding factor in his election. Being that this blog focuses on film and television, I can't help but wonder if previous on screen portrayals of black presidents, assisted in Obama's rise to the White House.