Salim Faraji: Professor of Africana Studies Analyzes Politics in Black America

Salim Faraji, assistant professor of Africana studies, co-authored the article,
“Breaking With Tradition: Why Two Young African American Professors Support
Barack Obama,” which appeared in January in the weekly online publication, The Black Commentator. In the article, Faraji and his colleague, Jahi Issa, assistant professor of African World History at Elizabeth City State University in North Carolina, explain their support of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama despite having previously been in line with civil rights leaders’ historical support of former President Bill Clinton and his wife, Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY), who is Obama’s opponent.

Faraji also does not agree with the belief held by some of Obama’s detractors who say that as the offspring of a biracial marriage, he is not “black enough.”

“In the article,” he explains, “we say the criteria of a person being ‘black enough’ is if they take the African American experience as a primary reference point for envisioning their leadership.”

Faraji points out that many black political leaders in the United States tend to downplay their experience as African Americans in order to appeal to the wider, mainstream society, a tactic he says Obama has not used.

“African Americans are sensitive about [black] leaders who, in an attempt to appeal to a white or mainstream audience in America, see that as exclusive to identifying with the African American tradition,” he says. “One of the things that Barack Obama has been able to do is appeal to a broader audience without excluding or intentionally separating himself from African Americans. Ethnically, he is not the descendant of enslaved Africans in America. Many biracial Africans in this country choose not to identify with African Americans. And rightly, they’re not obligated to do so. Although they are black in a cultural and historical sense, it’s not identical to being African American. Being the bicultural son of an African immigrant and a Caucasian woman and to root his politics in part, in African American life, is actually a courageous move and I think one of integrity.”

In February, Faraji continued his look at politics in black America when he attended the State of the Black Union, a political symposium presented annually by media personality Tavis Smiley. This year’s event, which took place in New Orleans, focused on the role of African Americans in the upcoming presidential elections. With Smiley’s approval, Faraji distributed a questionnaire to attendees that asks how African Americans currently view themselves within the larger arena of American politics and policy.

“I asked questions like ‘If black America is a union, what does that mean in terms of establishing a political party?’” says Faraji. “What does that mean economically, in terms of education, and how does black America interact with a broader American society and other ethnic groups?’ The last time this type of research was done was about 25 years ago, so I’m reopening these questions for a new generation.”

Faraji believes coalitions like a black union strengthen the nation, saying that, “Affirming particular histories isn’t about separatism. It’s about participating from a vantage point of strength and affirming your humanity. It allows the different heritages in America to be acknowledged and affirmed as contributing to American society. And, it gives them a greater stake in the political and democratic process if they are able to participate in it in a way that affirms their particular history here, as contributing to the overall history.”

Faraji encourages his students of all backgrounds to vote, “I emphasize that it’s an opportunity and a responsibility to exercise your voice and participate in the democratic process. I tell students that the 14th Amendment marked the right of people of African descent to vote in this country. Those laws wouldn’t be enforced until 100 years later, in the 1965 Voting Rights Act, which also applied to Americans from diverse ethnicities. People had to struggle, fight and suffer for that basic right.”

Faraji earned his bachelor’s degree in social science with a concentration in behavioral sciences at Penn State, and a master’s of divinity from the Claremont School of Theology. He also has his master’s degree in religion and a doctorate in history and religion, with an emphasis on Nubiology, Africana history and Diaspora religious studies, from the Claremont Graduate School. He is the author of two
books - the forthcoming The Roots of Nubian Christianity: The Triumph of an Ethiopian King (Florence, Routledge Press) and The Origin of Word Amen: Ancient Knowledge the Bible Has Never Told (Los Angeles: Amen Ra Theological Seminary Press, 2006).

- Joanie Harmon

Photo above: Salim Faraji, assistant professor of Africana studies, with media personality
Tavis Smiley in New Orleans for the State of the Black Union symposium in February.

Photo courtesy of Salim Faraji