Barack Obama and African American empowerment : the rise of Black America's new leadership

This book examines the evolution of black leadership and politics since the Civil Rights Movement. It looks at the phenomenon of Barack Obama, from his striking emergence as a successful candidate for the Illinois State Senate to President of the United States, as part of the continuum of African American political leaders.

• Introduction: Racializing Obama: The Enigma of Postblack Politics and Leadership p. 1 Manning Marable
• I Background to the New Black Politics p. 13
• 1 System Values and African American Leadership p. 15 Robert C. Smith
• 2 The Limits of Black Pragmatism: The Rise and Fall of David Dinkins, 1989-93 p. 25 Ryan Reft
• 3 City Politics and Black Protest: The Economic Transformation of Harlem and Bronzeville p. 43 Derek S. Hyra
• 4 Toward a Pragmatic Black Politics p. 65 Fredrick Hams
• 5 On Black Leadership, Black Politics, and the U.S. Immigration Debate p. 73 Mark Sawyer
• 6 The Political Orientations of Young African Americans p. 81 David A. Bositzs
• 7 The Case for a Neo-Rainbow Electoral Strategy p. 91 Danny Gloverand and Bill Fletcher, Jr
• 8 The Ethics of Colin Powell p. 105 Grant Farred
• II The Meaning of Barack Obama p. 121
• 9 First Lady in Black: Michelle Obama and the Crisis of Race and Gender p. 123 Gerald Home and Malaika Home- Wells
• 10 The Race Problematic, the Narrative of Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Election of Barack Obama p. 133 Rickey Hill
• 11 From Idol to Obama: What TV Elections Teach Us about Race, Youth, and Voting p. 149 Sherrilyn Ifill
• III The 2008 Presidential Campaign and Beyond p. 161
• 12 Race, Postblack Politics, and the Democratic Presidential Candidacy of Barack Obama p. 163 Carly Fraser
• 13 Sovereign Kinship and the President-Elect p. 183 Joy James
• 14 You May Not Get There with Me: Obama and the Black Political Establishment p. 195 Kareem Crayton
• 15 Barack Obama and the Black Electorate in Georgia: Identifying the Disenfranchised p. 209 Keesha M. Middlemass
• 16 Barack Obama's Candidacy and the Collateral Consequences of the ôPolitics of Fearö p. 225 Gregory S. Parks and Jeffrey J. Rachlmski
• 17 The Struggle Continues: Combating Voting Discrimination in the Obama Era p. 241 Kristen Clarke
• About the Editors and Contributors p. 263
• Index p. 267