A new organization, PowerPac, headed by Blacks, sponsored a Town Hall meeting on voter turnout. The PowerPac attracted nearly 1,000 people. Many in the audience were members of the AFL-CIO, there celebrating the 40th anniversary of the sanitation workers strike that brought Dr. King to the city. A prominent Black labor leader, the venerable Bill Lucy, made his entrance into history trying to negotiate a wage and working conditions for the strikers with Jerry Wurf, head of the AFSCME.
  
But I was only a warm-up for the Rev. Al Sharpton, whose presentation went far beyond reasons why it was important to come out to vote. He went straight to the heart of the current election, asserting boldly that were Dr. King alive he would have been more concerned about the “what” of the election rather than the “who.”
  
In other words, he viewed the civil rights movements as a struggle to obtain certain civil and human rights that were the substance by which we evaluate the quality of our leadership. But the “who” as the leader or set of leaders who accomplished this was secondary to the primary goal.
  
Given this logic, even Dr. King, as a person, was far less important than the substance of public policies and civil rights legislation achieved then, and for which we are still fighting today. Dr. King was the embodiment of the struggle for that substance, but it is amazing how he, rather than the goals and gains, has become the symbol of African American progress. This is not to diminish him, but to restore a little perspective on how he would view the struggle today.
  
A few nights later, at Myrtle Beach, S.C. there was a debate among Senators Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and John Edwards, the three top candidates for the Democratic nomination for president.
  
At the end of the debate, the host asked which one of them would Dr. King endorse. Edwards and Clinton inferred that he would endorse them, but Obama said he believed Dr. King would not endorse any of them, because he would be more interested in the “what” rather than the “who.” This was a fascinating meeting of the minds between Sharpton and Obama on this question.
  
Nevertheless, as I left the meeting in Memphis to return to Washington, D.C.. I shared a ride with a woman who had attended the Town Hall meeting, but had to leave with friends before Rev. Sharpton spoke.
  
She wanted to know what he said, but was disappointed that he did not clearly state for her who should be endorsed. She appreciated his message on Dr. King and Obama’s view as well, but she felt most Blacks were not as adept at the policy discussions and needed to be shown the way.
  
“You know how we are, we want to be told what to do.”
  
Interpreting this, I understood that she really didn’t want to be told what to do, but she represented those who wanted validation of the choice they had to make, to be sure that it was within the framework of the collective needs of our community and their individual interests as well.
  
Resolving this dilemma is the key to our unity. The crux of the matter is to understand the issues and then assess which of the candidates best represents the promise of their fulfillment. But our leaders are badly split in the election, given the variety of good choices that exist. Meanwhile, the public opinion polls are telling us Obama was supported by Blacks in Nevada by 80 percent, by Blacks in South Carolina by 80 percent and by Blacks in the nation at large by 60 percent.
  
So, our leaders are the masses in this case. In 1984, when leadership did not support Rev. Jesse Jackson, the masses showed the way. Again, like who showed up in Memphis, they are speaking loud and clear for the Black community to support Obama for president. Thus, they have resolved the dilemma of choice by concluding that he is the best person to carry their issues into the White House. We should all accept their conclusion.

  
Dr. Ron Walters is the Distinguished Leadership Scholar, Director of the African American Leadership Center, and Professor of Government and Politics at the University of Maryland College Park. His latest book is: Freedom Is Not Enough: Black Voters, Black Candidates and American Presidential Politics (Rowman and Littlefield).