Waiting for Lightning to Strike: The Fundamentals of Black Politics

The year that saw an African American run for the presidency—as a viable contender—for the first time in US history also witnessed a truly remarkable silence—one that was scarcely coincidental. In all the millions of words written about the political ascent of one black man, there was virtually nothing about the descent of black leadership into well-nigh total ineffectiveness. Barack Obama’s personal itinerary was mapped in the minutest detail. The larger itinerary of African Americans was ...