Tiffany Tompkins-Condie / McClatchy Tribune

In 1968, while 7-year-old Barack Obama was living in Indonesia, actress Diahann Carroll helped him secure his place in the White House.

Carroll’s character, Julia Baker, an African-American nurse and single mother in the 1968 NBC series “Julia” is “educated, articulate and very attractive” — the epitome of Michelle Obama, according to Malik Simba, Ph.D. Seeing an African-American woman portrayed this way was one thing Simba said helped accustom white Americans to accepting “black faces in high places.”

Simba, program coordinator of the Africana and American Indian Studies (AAIS) program at Fresno State, was part of a panel discussion entitled “President Barack Obama: From Community Organizer to the White House: Historical and Personal Perspectives.”

The panel, held Thursday evening, also included Meta Schettler, Ph.D.; DeAnna Reese, Ph.D.; Hasan Johnson, Ph.D.; and Kenneth Hansen, all of the AAIS program. During the two-hour panel, each faculty member spoke about historical and societal influences they believe helped Obama attain the nation’s highest station.

Simba also partially attributed Obama’s election to the success and messages of “black faces” such as singer Harry Belafonte, news anchor Bryant Gumbel, General Colin Powell and actor Sydney Poitier. Simba called Poitier’s characters “Barack Obama-like” in that they often save the world or society, are calm, articulate and college-educated.

“This election is so inextricably tied to history,” Reese said, explaining that presidents are usually selected from governors and senators, of which there have been relatively few African-Americans.

“[Obama’s] particular acceptance speaks to the diversity of his racial background. I think that not having that tainted history of slavery helped him,” Reese said.

Simba drew parallels between Obama and Depression-era president Franklin Delano Roosevelt, saying that both came to power during “a cultural shift coupled with an economic collapse.”

Simba said Obama has expressed interest in creating a Works Project Administration (WPA) similar to the one created by Roosevelt. Under Roosevelt, the WPA created jobs for the unemployed by building infrastructure improvements across the U.S.

Physically, Obama and Roosevelt both overcame stereotyping, Simba said. Roosevelt was confined to a wheelchair due to the ravages of a childhood bout with polio, though he sometimes forced himself to stand when giving speeches in public. Critics said America would never elect “half a man.” Roosevelt served an unprecedented four terms as president.

Schettler likened Obama to Nelson Mandela, the first black president of South Africa. She said that both managed to bring together people of diverse backgrounds and that she hopes Obama will manage to heal racial wounds like Mandela did.

“Racism is not going to go away,” Schettler said, adding that Obama’s ethnic background challenged people to “think more complexly” about race.

The other panelists agreed that Obama is capable of overcoming barriers to diversity.

Hansen said “He wasn’t the “black candidate” that we’ve seen run in other campaigns. Barack Obama has widespread appeal.” He added that part of that appeal comes from Obama’s being “a multiracial person with a multicultural upbringing.”

Reese called Obama “well-dressed and articulate, a stark contrast to the stereotypes we normally see of African-American men.” She added that she hoped his presidency would continue to break down stereotypes by projecting positive images.

Obama has ushered in a new standard of accomplishment and responsibility for the African-American community, according to Reese. “African-Americans can no longer hold title to being victims,” she said. She acknowledged that there would still be problems for African-Americans to overcome but said the race as a whole can no longer use victimization as a crutch.

Johnson said the question before the nation was now whether to embrace the diversity of the United States’ populace or to take advantage of it.

“Do we celebrate that varied history, or do we celebrate the fact that we can now oppress others the way we have been oppressed?” he asked. “I’m hopeful we’ll remember that history.”