Democratic Presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) sits down with TV One commentator Roland Martin to discuss a wide range of issues of interest to African Americans Monday, July 2 at 7 PM Pacific, when the network for African American adults premieres In Conversation. . .The Senator Barack Obama Interview.
During this revealing one-hour interview, which repeats Tuesday, July 3 at 6PM PT, Martin talks to Senator Obama about a host of important domestic issues, including civil rights and race relations, violence, poverty, immigration, education, and health care, as well as significant international issues including the war in Iraq, genocide in Darfur and America’s global reputation. In addition, Martin also raises with Sen. Obama more personal issues, such as why he thinks he should be President, his faith and how it affects his decision making, and how he responds to those who question his level of experience.
When Martin asks, “Doesn’t it bother you when people question, ‘Is he black enough?,’” Sen. Obama says, “. . . My appeal to the African American community is not based on the color of my skin, it’s based on what I’ve done. I’ve got a track record on issues that are important to the African American community, I’ve been there, I’ve done that. I haven’t just talked about it. And as people get more familiar with my track record, when they see he passed racial profiling legislation, he made sure the death penalty system was working, when people see that instead of representing large clients, he represented black folks and women who had been discriminated against on the job, then I think people start feeling confident. . .that, this guy’s going to be an advocate for ordinary folks. And that is a matter of record, and it’s a matter of us getting that record out.”
On the issue of his experience, Obama tells Martin, “The performance of a president has less to do with longevity in Washington and more to do with the kind of character they bring to bear to the problems that the country is facing. It’s interesting, when we talk to folks and they find out that not only have I been a a community organizer and a civil rights attorney, but I taught constitutional law for 10 years, I served in the state senate for eight years, chaired the health care committee, all that is relevant to them. You know, it’s only in Washington where they think that the only experience that’s relevant is Washington experience. . .”
“We are pleased to be inaugurating TV One’s 2008 presidential election-related programming with the Sen. Obama interview,” said TV One President and CEO Johnathan Rodgers. “African Americans clearly want to know more about the candidates, and we hope the programming we offer will give our viewers a chance to better understand them. TV One looks forward to providing additional public affairs coverage that’s relevant to the upcoming presidential election and the issues most affecting African Americans.”
Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) will be featured in an upcoming episode of TV One on One, the network’s interview series hosted by Radio One founder and Chairperson Catherine Hughes that features interviews with some of the most intriguing and newsworthy public figures and celebrities in America today.
The interview with Roland Martin marks Senator Obama’s second appearance on TV One. He was Ms. Hughes’ guest in the first episode of TV One on One in October 2004.
Roland Martin became a commentator for TV One in the spring of 2005. He is also a contributor and commentator for CNN, a nationally syndicated columnist, and the host of “The Roland S. Martin Show” on WVON-AM radio in Chicago. A former editor of leading African American publications the Chicago Defender, the Houston Defender and the Dallas Weekly, and reporter for the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram and Austin American-Statesman, he has won more than 20 professional awards for journalistic excellence.
