Perspectives on the Obama campaign and early administrationBarack 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 race relations within the United States 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 Michele 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 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 Pinderhughes, Sherman C. Puckett, Scharn Robinson, Ula Taylor, Alice Walker, Hanes Walton Jr., and Ronald Williams II.
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
''These eminent scholars of African American politics provide rich, multigenerational perspectives on the Obama election and the first year of his presidency. A significant and distinctive contribution to the emerging scholarship on Obama that will be useful in African American studies and political science courses.''--Robert C. Smith, coauthor of American Politics and the African American Quest for Universal Freedom
