Omar says : Roosevelt faced criticism from blacks and lack of commitment to Christianity . He also faced religious challenges , criticism from African - Americans , he writes . The Democratic Party was understood as the party of the openly violent Jim Crow South , where millions of African Americans remained disenfranchised . He says Roosevelt used black church to build up trust among a disenfranchised group . Obama could turn to black churches to bring out vote and prove religious identity , he says .
Omar says : Roosevelt faced criticism from blacks and lack of commitment to Christianity . He also faced religious challenges , criticism from African - Americans , he writes . He says Roosevelt used black church to build up trust among a disenfranchised group . Obama could turn to black churches to bring out vote and prove religious identity , he says .