Tags
"Between the World and Me", "The Atlantic", "The Beautiful Struggle", "The New Jim Crow", Michelle Alexander, Ta-Nehisi Coates
Ta-Nehisi Coates, writer for The Atlantic, author of Between the World and Me and The Beautiful Struggle, and someone who always seems to have something of value to teach, just wrote a lengthy (17,000 words) article in the upcoming Atlantic.
Entitled My President Was Black: A History Of The First African-American White House And Of What Came Next, it is, for me, the best article I’ve read about the Obama presidency and the 2016 election results. While it will certainly take years to fairly evaluate President Obama’s legacy and untangle the meaning of the 2016 election, Coates certainly opens the discussion.
Coming just after I finished Michelle Alexander’s superb 2010 book The New Jim Crow, which has opened my eyes in a way nothing else has in the last few years (more on this in a later post), Coates’ thoughts and views on the meaning of Obama’s presidency continue to instruct.
See what you think: My President Was Black.
elliott trommald said:
I suspect we are all trying to make sense out of our yet to be understood world of constructive ambiguity. The Atlantic piece is remarkable and today’s four thank you notes to Michelle in the NYT should be read with it. Neither are really about O’s legacy — they are about decency, authenticity, and character in the White House when now both seem in short supply. We needed the Obamas; they gave us hope moving forward, helped us deal with a history we are still struggling with. Barack’s talk in Philadelphia March 2008 about how race works in this nation I still think the most feeling, thoughtful, and insightful explanation as to where we are and how we got here. And here is a book for you Richard — Coates and the Obamas allowed me to read and understand Guyatt’s book “Bind Us Apart: How Enlightened Americans Invented Racial Segregation.” Lincoln and Obama should be read by our grandchildren since few of them (shockingly according to a recent survey) know much about the Civil War. A gift idea: a copy of Lincoln’s words at Gettysburg, his 2nd Inaugural, and Baracks words in Philadelphia March 18, 2008. Then add Coates with a plea for discussion.
Richard said:
For those who want to read or listen to the speech Elliott refers to above:
Transcript – A More Perfect Union
YouTube – A More Perfect Union
Carrie said:
I liked the article even though there were some opinions I did not agree with. I think Obama and his family are good people and I am sure some people are prejudice towards them because of their race. However, some people disagree about his policies i.e. Redistribution, mandated health care, taxes etc.