How the Obama Presidency Changed the Political Landscape

by Larry J. Walker (Editor), F. Erik Brooks (Editor), Ramon B. Goings (Editor)

Overview

Covering key issues ranging from education to political mobilization to racial stratification, this book provides a comprehensive examination of the Obama Presidency.

President Barack Obama's election and subsequent reelection represent a critical paradigm shift in American political history. But are there lasting effects of the election of an African American to the highest office in the land in terms of the United States' economic, educational, political and social realities? A valuable resource for undergraduate and graduate students, researchers, state and federal policymakers, and general readers, this book poses critical questions and offers insightful answers from expert contributors, provides a balanced critique of President Obama's accomplishments and challenges, and considers the national and international impact President Obama's tenure had on politics.

The numerous contributors to this book provide a range of perspectives on President Obama's presidency that question conventional thinking, covering key issues that include health care, education, political mobilization, gender, racial stratification, voting patterns, and criminal justice. Readers will come away with a heightened comprehension of the complex relationships between political structures, economic policies, and minority interests; how Congress, traditional and contemporary activists, and domestic and international issues all shaped the Obama Presidency; and how micro and macro issues such as voting rights, voting patterns, and Get Out the Vote (GOTV) initiatives are connected.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781440852053
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	06/22/2017
Pages:	376
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.88(d)

About the Author

Larry J. Walker is a researcher and political strategist. He is a former Congressional Fellow with the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBCF) and served as Legislative Director for Congressman Major R. Owens.

F. Erik Brooks is professor and chair of the African American Studies Department at Western Illinois University, USA.

Ramon B. Goings is assistant professor of educational leadership at Loyola University of Maryland-Baltimore, USA.

Table of Contents

Preface vii

Part 1 Race, Party Affiliation, and the New Majority

Chapter 1 The Body Politic: How Underrepresented Groups Can Gain Political Power Christopher M. Whitt 3

Chapter 2 The Right to Vote, 50 Years Later: Do We Still Need the 1965 VRA? Blanche M. Radford-Curry 25

Chapter 3 The Latino Vote: Growth, Influence, and How Obama Changed the Game Andrew Martinez Paola Esmieu 44

Chapter 4 African Americans, Voting, and the Republican Party Donna L. Taylor 64

Chapter 5 Barack Obama and the Youth Vote Glenn L. Starks 90

Chapter 6 New Definitions of Progressivism in the Age of Obama Linda D. Tomlinson 109

Chapter 7 You Can't Call That Mentoring: The Fallacy of Mentoring in Obama's My Brother's Keeper Torie Weiston-Serdan Arash Daneshzadeh 122

Chapter 8 The Great Divider: Obama's Influence on Trust in Government and Racial Attitudes Clarissa Peterson Emmitt Y. Riley III 142

Part 2 Coalition Building, Social Media, and Political Messaging

Chapter 9 Body Cameras and Policing: From Ferguson to Baltimore MaCherie M. Placide 171

Chapter 10 President Obama: Code-Meshing and the Power of Speech in Racial Politics Cassandra Chaney Kyomi Gregory 196

Chapter 11 The Duplicitous Commodification of the Obama Presidency Interrogating Barack Obama's Sociopolitical Assent and Relevance through a Conscious Hip-Hop Pedagogy Ahmad R. Washington Belema Idoniboye Marta N. Mack-Washington 219

Chapter 12 Black Women as Agents of Social Change during the Obama Presidency Melissa Brown 239

Chapter 13 The Black President and the Black Body: The Intersection of Race, Class, Gender, and Violence in America David O. Fakunle Calvin J. Smiley Marisela B. Gomez 265

Chapter 14 HBCUs and Activism in the Post-Obama Era Felecia Commodore Robert T. Palmer 291

Chapter 15 Standardized Testing, Teacher Accountability, and the School Choice Debate Nicole McZeal-Walters 304

Chapter 16 Use of Deadly Force: Policing and Accountability during the Obama Administration Kimberly J. Rice Keith Boeckelman Casey LaFrance 320

Index 347

About the Editors and Contributors 357