| March 2008 |
POSITIVES IN REPUBLICANS,
POSTITIVES IN DEMOCRATS –
JAMES BLAKE ON BARAK OBAMA
James Blake and Barack Obama have plenty in common. Both went to Harvard and are the products of interracial marriages, with one parent being an American and the other being from abroad. Both had to overcome the untimely deaths of their fathers. Both are successful authors who are reflective, deep-think fellows who compete with a certain calmness in fiercely competitive arenas. Both are African Americans who address racial issues in a modest manner. (Remember Blake’s racial incident with Lleyton Hewitt at the ’01 U.S. Open, which Blake all but tossed aside?) So, it was hardly shocking that James recently endorsed the Illinois Senator. We recently spoke to him to ask why?
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INSIDE TENNIS: What drew you to Obama and his vision?
Blake: When I read his first book [Dreams From My Father] I felt like he was someone that was completely honest, and when I read his second book [Audacity of Hope] I felt like when he talked about politics he wasn’t necessarily strictly going by party lines. He saw positives in Republicans, he saw positives in Democrats and negatives in both and he saw that the whole partisan system is something that might be broken. And when you have that kind of honesty, I feel it’s important to get that into Washington. He’s done a great job as a senator and hopefully will continue to do that in the White House.
IT: Both of you came out of Harvard and soon immersed yourselves in intensely competitive fields, yet you both have approached your professional lives with a certain calm, a certain balance.
Blake: Yeah, even when Obama’s talking about politics in his book, he gives you glimpses of his family life. That’s important because he takes that seriously. Obviously, he takes politics most seriously and I take tennis most seriously, but there is also a family aspect. After all, you have to be realistic. There are other things in your life and that’s important. I really appreciate the fact that he’s well-rounded and puts his family in such an important place.
IT: Both you and Senator Obama had one parent who’s American and another who’s non-American. In any way is that an advantage in life or …
Blake: At times I do think it’s an advantage. That’s not to say there’s anything wrong with having two parents from the same country. But when you have parents from different countries you don’t necessarily always feel the same bias and you have a different perspective. Having a different perspective growing up can open your mind and give you an outlook where you can see positives in every situation.
IT: When Arthur Ashe was a major presence in tennis, race relations in America were somewhat different than today. Now, Obama says, “Look we have to get this race and that race together. It’s not about this color or that color.” In traveling our country, is that something you feel?
BLAKE: I definitely always felt that. Coming from a mixed relationship and a mixed marriage, you kind of always have to feel that. You have to feel like you’re fitting in anywhere. That’s the way I always felt. Now some people may want to make it seem like you don’t fit in anywhere, but I always felt like I can fit in anywhere.
