Introduction

This chapter provides a framework for this edited volume about how Barack Obama’s presidential legacy has, and has not, shaped African American politics—after Obama. Its co-editors—Todd Shaw, Robert Brown, and Joseph McCormick—posit that President Obama, a pragmatist who struggled to avoid the perceived pitfalls of race, operated within a conservative American racial order. The race and racism of this order convinced various Black constituencies to embrace an “inverted linked fate,” whereby they perceived their collective well-being based on the perceived political well-being of Obama. In return, no matter Obama’s cultural and symbolic ties to the Black community, he and his administration confronted an “inclusionary dilemma,” whereby the Black-led coalition that gave Obama electoral victories were, at times, underserved by the political and juridical limitations of his policy agenda or policy successes. The authors then give an overview of the rest of the volume.

Race and Representation in Twenty-First Century America

This article examines Black women in the development of African-American politics, initially using race as a framework for analyzing the evolution of African-American politics. The article broadens its focus to use an intersectional analysis in explaining Black women’s prominence in representation and voter participation. It discusses criminal justice reform, arguing how the increased incarceration of Black women and girls should change the narrative of the Black community’s perspective towards this issue. Finally, there is a discussion of infant and maternal mortality and criminal justice reform as issues that demand greater attention in the Black community.