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Arts

Susan Saccoccia

A recipient of NEA Arts Journalism fellowships in dance, theater and music, Susan reviews visual and performing arts in the U.S. and overseas.

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Arts

Between Barack Obama’s declaring his candidacy for the presidency and Election Day 2008, nationally syndicated columnist Roland Martin filed hundreds of reports about the campaign as a political correspondent for CNN and TV-One Networks.

Martin was also occasionally afforded access to Obama for intimate, one-on-one interviews. It would only make sense, then, that he would decide to publish “The First: President Barack Obama’s Road to the White House as Originally Reported by Roland S. Martin,” a book recounting Obama’s historic run for the White House.

Recently, Roland talked about the campaign, the book, his career and his family life.  

Let me start by asking what inspired you to publish the book?

I was thinking about the fact that I had written about a hundred columns during the campaign, and I realized I could do a book on it. So I started pulling all the radio interviews I did during the campaign, and my blog posts, and my interview with Michelle Obama, and I realized I could put together an anthology from just my coverage alone.

But then I thought of calling about 15 of the celebrities I had met on the campaign trail, like Common, Chris Tucker, Jessica Alba and Malik Yoba to speak with them about their involvement. And they all said, “Yeah, we’ll do it!”

How did you decide on the cover and on the book’s title?

I knew I wanted it to look like those “Hope” and “Change” campaign posters. Then I was trying to figure out what the heck to even call it, and I remembered a book I’d read about The New York Times’ coverage of Lincoln’s election, presidency and death, called “Lincoln in the Times: The Life of Abraham Lincoln, as Originally Reported by The New York Times.”

When did you start covering the Obama campaign?

I was already doing my daily radio show, when I was signed by CNN in February of 2007. He declared his candidacy that same month. At that time, I was trying to figure out where I fit in. Everybody was saying, “Hillary Clinton’s going to get the nomination,” like it was a foregone conclusion. But I thought, “Hey, I don’t think anybody’s paying serious attention to this guy.”

I decided my niche was to know anything and everything the Obama campaign was doing, so that, when I went on the air, I would own that space. We had correspondents covering several candidates at once, but my approach was, “No, I’m going to own ‘this’ space.”

Did you find it hard to stay objective during the campaign as a black man?

My role wasn’t to be objective. As a contributor, I was there to be subjective. I was free to give opinion, and that’s how I approached it.

You interviewed President Obama recently. Does he seem like a different person, given his big drop in approval ratings compared to a year ago?

I didn’t get a sense that, because of the drop in poll numbers, things have changed. He’s always been a person who’s on an even keel. But you certainly can tell that the weight of the presidency is there — as it is on any president — because their looks change in terms of their hair color and their facial expressions. It’s a difficult job. It’s not simple at all. If you want to age a lot of years, become president.

You often talk about your wife. You are paying for nieces and nephews to go to college. Are family fidelity and true success ultimately compatible?

I was attending an event years ago where the question “Who are your role models?” was raised. I heard people respond with names like “Oprah Winfrey” and “Bill Cosby.” I have nothing against them; but no celebrity ever fed me, clothed me, helped me with my homework, drove me to school or picked me up when it was late. It was my mom and dad. So family to me is absolutely vital.

Everybody can adore you because you’re on television; but, at the end of the day, when you’re no longer on TV, who’s still there? It’s family. In terms of my wife and me raising my four nieces in Chicago, and also taking in my sister and her two kids at our home in Dallas, I felt like I couldn’t speak out about saving our children, if I didn’t do it at home. I can’t talk about the education of black children, if I ignored two of my nieces who were a couple of grade levels behind.

I believe that charity begins at home, and I take seriously the role of a godfather to fill the gap when the parents aren’t doing their job. My wife is me, and a part of my life. When you hide that relationship, you stop being your authentic self.

When you were webmaster for Black America Web, did you ever imagine having this broad-ranging, successful development of your career?

Yes. Remember, I went to a communications high school in Houston, with a TV station, a radio station and a newspaper. I mastered all three media while still in high school. They tried to get me to focus only on one in college, but I said, “No!”

Even while I ran Black America Web, I was news editor of Savoy Magazine, started my syndicated column and published my first book. And I was doing radio even before that. And I started appearing on CNN in 2002. So I was doing five different media even then. That was always the plan. I never only wanted to settle for one.  

What was the last book you read?

I read several books at one time. One is James Brown’s “Role of a Lifetime.” I’m also reading “Twice as Good: Condoleezza Rice and Her Path to Power” by Marcus Mabry. And Byron Pitts’ book, “Step Out on Nothing.” And Gerald Boyd’s “My Time in Black and White: Race and Power at The New York Times,” an awesome book. He broke it all down. And I have about 60 more books waiting in the hopper.  

When you look in the mirror, what do you see?

An unapologetic black man.

Do you have any regrets?

No, because even if something didn’t turn out well, it’s still a part of me that makes me, me. So I never look upon anything as a regret. It helps you regardless.

How do you get through the tough times?

Through God, and an absolute belief in self.

How do you want to be remembered?

As a brother who didn’t give a damn what anybody thought, but he brought his views to every venue in an uncompromising and unapologetic fashion.