No. Not at all. Both myself and Gloria Steinem believe that, she further explored this in this interview with NPR. Essentially she argues that, should Clinton win the election in November, it won't solve sexism.
A woman in the Whitehouse doesn’t inherently mean much if she doesn’t represent the ideals of most American women; Steinem says that if Sarah Palin were president, it would most likely be detrimental to American women (if not women everywhere in my opinion.)
In the same vain a black man in the Whitehouse doesn’t mean much if he doesn’t represent the beliefs of black men. Throughout the article Steinem praises the Obama family and administration for their work forwarding black communities. I would argue the only thing Obama has done to help the average black citizen is win the presidency. While he has given plenty of speeches and acknowledged the public outcry of Black Americans around the country, he hasn’t passed the necessary legislation and made the efforts necessary to truly help Black Americans.
I agree with Steinem in that a representative has to represent their demographics beliefs, they have to be willing to put those beliefs into action. I have no doubt that Barack Obama sees the racial divide in our country as a genuine issue; that movements like Black Lives Matter are the modern Civil Rights Movement, he hasn’t put in the work in the past 8 years. Obama is a Black figurehead, while that isn’t a bad thing by any means, who cares about being in a position of power if you aren’t using that power to dismantle the social structures that keep YOUR people in social chains.
I worry, and I think Steinem does too, that Clinton will repeat this pattern. Being the Commander in Chief in many ways makes one the most powerful person in the world. Having minorities in that position is an amazing thing, but it doesn’t mean much if you don’t do the work that needs doing.
NPR: Steinem: For Feminism, A Clinton Win Would Be Helpful But 'Only One Step'
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