You may have noticed the article to the right about “Black Pro-Lifers’ Joy and Pain.”

In it, Tim Drake talked to several black pro-lifers who celebrated the historic nature of the election of Barack Obama, but were worried about how black babies would be affected.

“It’s an incredibly historic moment for our nation. There were many African-Americans who didn’t think we would see this in our lifetimes,” said pastor Arnold Culbreath, urban outreach director for Protecting Black Life in Cincinnati.

“However,” he added, “abortion remains the leading cause of death in the black community. With President-elect Obama being as aggressively pro-abortion as he is, that makes our work more urgent and necessary. ... There are over 1,200 black abortions occurring in our country every day.”

The Rev. Johnny Hunter also stressed the impact of abortion on blacks. He is national director of Life Education and Resource Network in Fayetteville, N.C.

“People don’t realize that abortion has killed more blacks than the Ku Klux Klan ever lynched. Planned Parenthood is the biggest of the abortion providers,” he said. “Planned Parenthood endorsed Senator Obama, and he made promises to them. Any person of color who has made a promise to a group that targets groups of color isn’t worthy of being elected.”

Hunter noted one pro-family bright spot in the election. He’s convinced that the greater numbers of African-Americans who voted led to the passage of ballot initiatives protecting traditional marriage.

“The black majority has always voted for Democratic candidates,” said Hunter. “However, because so many blacks showed up and voted, propositions protecting traditional marriage, like the one in California, passed.”

Lawson Lipford-Cruz, a senior at Ohio State University, had the best comment. He is president of Black Students for Life.

“Obviously, it’s a historic moment and shows that we as black people have come a long way in this country,” he said, “but at the same time, I’m frustrated because a lot of people haven’t been able to see the bigger picture.

“The unborn don’t have rights just like we didn’t as black people,” said Lipford-Cruz. “It’s frustrating that people can’t see that.”

— Tom Hoopes