Poet and activist Amiri Baraka's son Ras Baraka has been the Mayor of Newark, New Jersey since 2014. But he isn't just the leader of the black people in the city. In New Jersey's largest city the black population is 48%, the fast growing Hispanic population is 37% the non-hispanic white population is 10%, and the Asian population is 2%. The city is home to many insurance companies and other large corporations, as well as a major port.

I spent some time in Newark last year, and I thought the city and its people were quite nice, and only a 15 minute train ride to Manhattan. Ironbound, which has a large Brazilian community, is fascinating. But I didn't go to the parts of town that were poverty stricken and wracked with crime. Up to a third of the population is under the poverty line, and most of those are black. Five of the previous seven mayors of Newark have been indicted on corruption charges. The school system, largest in NJ, is under state control.

So does Mayor Baraka focus on growing the economy of the city, eliminating poverty, fighting crime, regaining control of the school system, and rooting out corruption, or does he use his time and political capital on this complete independence of black people thing? He is only Mayor until 2026.