Full Description
Barack Obama's campaign and electoral victory demonstrated the dynamic nature of American democracy. Beginning as a special issue of The Black Scholar, this probing collection illustrates the impact of "the Obama phenomenon" on the future of U.S. race relations through readings on Barack Obama's campaign as well as the idealism and pragmatism of the Obama administration. Some of the foremost scholars of African American politics and culture from an array of disciplines--including political science, theology, economics, history, journalism, sociology, cultural studies, and law--offer critical analyses of topics as diverse as Obama and the media, Obama's connection with the hip hop community, the public's perception of first lady Michelle Obama, voter behavior, and the history of racial issues in presidential campaigns since the 1960s. Contributors are Josephine A. V. Allen, Robert L. Allen, Herb Boyd, Donald R. Deskins Jr., Cheryl I. Harris, Charles P. Henry, Dwight N. Hopkins, John L. Jackson, Maulana Karenga, Robin D. G. Kelley, Martin Kilson, Clarence Lusane, Julianne Malveaux, Shaun Ossei-Owusu, Dianne M. Pinderhughes, Sherman C. Puckett, Scharn Robinson, Ula Y. Taylor, Alice Walker, Hanes Walton Jr., and Ronald Williams II.
Contents
Acknowledgments Charles P. Henry / Introduction The Election 1.Charles P. Henry / The Jackson and Obama Contributions to a Multiracial Democracy; 2. Martin Kilson / The Electoral Building Blocks of Barack Obama's Victory; 3. Hanes Walton, Jr., Josephine A. V. Allen, Sherman C. Puckett & Donald R. Deskins, Jr. / The Election of Barack Obama and Its Implications for Racial Politics; 4. Julianne Malveaux / Did Race, Class, Gender, Generation, or the Economy trump in the 2008 Elections; 5. Dianne M. Pinderhughes / Race, The Presidency and Obama's First Year; 6. Herb Boyd / Obama and the Media; 7. Scharn Robinson / The Impact of the 2008 Campaign on the Legacy of William Jefferson Clinton Culture 8. Alice Walker / Lest We Forget: An open letter to my sisters who are brave; 9. Maulana Karenga / Barack Obama's Ambivalent Embrace of Blackness; 10. John L. Jackson / Obama, Black Religion, and the Rev. Wright Controversy; 11. Dwight Hopkins / Race, Religion, and the Race for the White House; 12. Ronald Williams II / Barack Obama and the Politics of Racial Representation; 13. Shaun Ossei-Owusu / Barack Obama's Anomalous Relationship with the Hip Hop Community; 14. Ula Taylor / First Lady Michelle Obama, Too Black and Too Strong Policy 15. Robin D. G. Kelley / President Obama, Freedom Democrat or Neo-Liberal; 16. Clarence Lusane / Globalization and the Obama Doctrine; 17. Cheryl Harris / Barack Obama, the Past, Present and Future of Race Remedies Robert L. Allen / Epilogue Contributors
