“I Will Never See a Black American President in My Lifetime”: Crisis in the Black American Masculine Narrative

Abstract

Abstract: The election of Barack Obama could not help but alter what Charles Johnson calls the “black American narrative.” This paper focuses on the endurance of the black American masculine narrative over time, how it may have changed, and what might be at stake for its future in light of Obama's election. The black American masculine narrative brings with it different implications than those in play for “black America” (however defined) more generally, including the laws of unintended consequences that find some critics looking back nostalgically to the days of segregation. The paper considers whether or not “politician” might be added to the short list of potential career aspirations for African American men and whether or not such an addition would count as progress.