Book of the Week, The Black Presidency: Barack Obama and the Politics of Race in America

Michael Eric Dyson explores the powerful, surprising way the politics of race have shaped Barack Obama’s identity and groundbreaking presidency. How has President Obama dealt publicly with race—as the national traumas of Tamir Rice, Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Freddie Gray, and Walter Scott have played out during his tenure? What can we learn from Obama's major race speeches about his approach to racial conflict and the black criticism it provokes?

Dyson explores whether Obama’s use of his own biracialism as a radiant symbol has been driven by the president’s desire to avoid a painful moral reckoning on race. And he sheds light on identity issues within the black power structure, telling the fascinating story of how Obama has spurned traditional black power brokers, significantly reducing their leverage.

President Obama’s own voice—from an Oval Office interview granted to Dyson for this book—along with those of Eric Holder, Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, Andrew Young, and Maxine Waters, among others, add unique depth to this profound tour of the nation’s first black presidency.

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KINDLE -------PAPERBACK

To my black brothers & sisters in Milwaukee: Don't destroy your own neighborhoods

By George L. Cook III AfricanAmericanReports.Com [EMAIL]

UPDATE 09:50 EST: We now know that the person shot was an 23-year-old African American male named Sylville K. Smith.

Over night there was a shooting of a young man by Milwaukee police. We don't know much about the incident at this time other than the police claimed the deceased was armed. At the time I am writing this post we don't know the race, although I'm sure we all can make an educated guess about the race of the deceased. Some also want to wait to see what the race of the police officer that did the shooting is but those people don't understand that the race of the officer makes little if any difference.

In the aftermath of the shooting protesters took to the streets of Milwaukee to voice their anger. Unfortunately many went further than expressing their anger, they burned down a gas station and several buildings in their own communities.

Again, we don't know much about the shooting but I do know burning down your own neighborhoods is stupid, and that just doesn't pertain to the current situation in Milwaukee.

I would like to ask those young men and women what do they think they are achieving?

I would like to ask them who do they think they are hurting?

We have always been told that violence achieves nothing. Well, that is wrong, it does lead to the destruction of neighborhoods that may never come back. The only people hurt by burning down buildings are those that live in the area now and in the future.

Does anyone really think the powers that be give a damn if black protesters destroy their communities? If you truly believe that there is institutional racism and that there are those that want to hold minorities back then stop helping those forces by destroying your own neighborhoods.

It can take decades for communities to bounce back after riots. It's been over 45 years since riots of the late sixties, and many of those communities have still not recovered. Today in 2016 it's still a big deal when a major retailer wants to open a store, or a developer wants to build housing in Newark NJ, Detroit, or Cleveland.

Riots only keep businesses from coming into our neighborhoods. When those companies don't come it limits access to jobs, fresh foods, medicine, and other goods and services a community needs to thrive. We are taking a bad situation with policing in our communities and making it worse by rioting.

I understand the frustration and anger. Many of us feel it, but we also know that violence is not the answer and that there is no simple or easy answer. I don't have all the answers, but it will take time for the policing situation in minority communities to be corrected. But if we all keep on it and vote in our local elections to get in people that will change things or to put out those that didn't.

I know many of you are tired of hearing about the power of your vote but you should be more sick of the needless destruction of our communities.

We are hurting no one but ourselves.

George L. Cook III AfricanAmericanReports.Com

Violence protest erupt in Milwaukee after police shooting

Six businesses and at least one car were set ablaze, and an officer was hit by a brick, as violence erupted Saturday night following an officer-involved shooting that left a 23-year-old man dead. Watch this story below.

Ibtihaj Muhammad and team win bronze medal

Earlier this week Ibtihaj Muhammad became known for making history as the first American woman to wear a hijab during Olympic competition. Now she along with her her fencing team have a medal to show that they belonged with the world's best.

Maplewood NJ native Ibtihaj Muhammad failed in her attempt at an individual medal at the Rio Olympics she didn't give up. Along with her teammates Dagmara Wozniak, Monica Aksamit, and Mariel Zagunis Team USA defeated Italy 45-30 in the bronze medal bout of the team sabre event.

"This has been a long journey for us," Muhammad said. This is six years in the making. We've worked so hard for this, and to be able to compete at the level that we've worked towards, on the world's biggest stage at the Olympic Games, is truly a blessing for us."

Team USA fencer Daryl Homer wins silver medal

Daryl Homer, the son of a single mother from the Virgin Islands who became fascinated by fencing when he saw a picture of two fencers in a children’s dictionary at the age of 5, became the first American to win a silver medal in men’s individual sabre in 112 years Wednesday night at the Olympic Games.

Homer, 26, the 2015 world silver medalist who is ranked 10th in the world, lost the gold medal match to longtime rival Aron Szilagyi of Hungary, 15-8. Szilagyi also won the gold in London four years ago, where Homer finished sixth.

“I’m just very, very pleased,” Homer said. “Just happy to be on the podium, happy that I competed, happy that I left it all out there. I think I just overthought the match a little bit, got a little of the heebie-jeebies.”

Homer became the first U.S. man to win an Olympic medal in individual sabre since Peter Westbrook, who won the bronze at the boycotted 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. Like Westbrook, Homer is black, a rarity in the sport.

[SOURCE]