What Obama Means: ...for Our Culture, Our Politics, Our Future

Barack Obama's phenomenal rise results from a ground-level version of harmonic convergence such as: the proper alignment of irreversible cultural trends, substantial political developments and unstoppable market forces. Part of his emergence derives from Obama himself: his charisma, his peerless eloquence, his seemingly effortless mastery of the issues, and the clarity with which he presents and pursues his agenda. But none of those qualities counters the fact that he appeared at the exactly right time and place in the course of American events. Although Obama's very ascendance is a watershed moment, it is provoked consequences that will reach far beyond the fight for the Democratic nomination. In addition to turning the old civil-rights model of African-American leadership on its head, Obama has suggested a new framework of public service and leadership that will undoubtedly influence ambitious Americans of all backgrounds. "This is our moment. This is our time," Barack Obama declared in his victory speech on November 4, 2008. Such a moment is an opportunity to explore who we are, where we've been, and what the emergence of a leader like Obama can tell us about our culture, our politics, and our future. In What Obama Means, Jabari Asim, author of the acclaimed The N Word, provides the context needed to understand what the Obama presidency means to Americans of all backgrounds.Asim moves easily from the contemporary to the historical, showing how performers and athletes, such as Michael Jackson and Michael Jordan, laid the groundwork for Obama as much as did leaders such as Frederick Douglass, W. E. B. DuBois, and Martin Luther King Jr. He examines the impact of Sidney Poitier (whose Guess Who's Coming to Dinner could have been the story of the president's parents) and how the actor's navigation of Hollywood was a forerunner for Obama's own path in wooing America's white voters. Asim places Obama within the history of the black rhetorical tradition, alongside such figures as James Baldwin, Fannie Lou Hamer, and Barbara Jordan. He also describes how the "Obama phenomenon" grew from the ground up, focusing on the people who caught on even before their leaders did. He demonstrates how Obama turned the old civil-rights model of African American leadership on its head, and shows that Obama's election is evidence of the progress that has been made in healing wounds and broadening America's concept of leadership and inspiration. Provocative and compelling. New York Newsday Both entertaining and insightful. Washington Post Book World It should be on the required reading list. Chicago Sun-Times What Obama Means by Jabari Asim, renowned cultural critic and author of The N Word, is a timely and sharp analysis of how the Obama phenomenonexhibits progress inAmerican politics and society.Afrequent guest and commentator on The Colbert Report, The Today Show, NPRs Diane Rehm Show and many other media programs, Asim alsoexamineshow cultural and political forcesled to thewatershed 2008 presidential election while indicatingwhat theelectionmeans for every American. Asim, author of the acclaimed "The N Word," provides the context needed to understand what the Obama presidency means to Americans of all backgrounds, showing how African American performers, athletes, rhetoricians, and leaders laid the groundwork for Obama and how Obama turned the old civil-rights model of African American leadership on its head Discusses Barack Obama's career and his impact on American politics and society, explaining how his achievements and popularity reflect a positive convergence of trends, political developments, and market forces