After Obama: African American Politics in the Post-Obama America

Just as the presumption of the presidential election of Barack Obama led to a post-racial American quickly evaporated, so too did the presumption that his election represented "The End of Black Politics." However, over the course of the Obama presidency there has been a vigorous debate as to precisely what has been the impact of this first "Black President" on African American Politics even while there has been a debate about whether Obama is a participant within Black politics. The purpose of this essay is to offer a scholarly and critical review of the range of questions that have emerged regarding the Obama presidency's impact upon the various constituencies of Black politics - from Black elected officials to Black youth - as well as the various public policies that impacted the quality of Black citizenship and the realization of equality opportunity - from civil rights to foreign affairs. Our ultimate aim is to raise a set of paradigmatic questions about the successes, dilemmas, and contradictions of the Obama presidency so to contemplate how the "next" Black America might better negotiate the politics of the "next" black-led presidency.