Not Even Past: Barack Obama and the Burden of Race

by Thomas J. Sugrue

The paradox of racial inequality in Barack Obama's America

Barack Obama, in his acclaimed campaign speech discussing the troubling complexities of race in America today, quoted William Faulkner's famous remark "The past isn't dead and buried. In fact, it isn't even past." In Not Even Past , award-winning historian Thomas Sugrue examines the paradox of race in Obama's America and how President Obama intends to deal with it.

Obama's journey to the White House undoubtedly marks a watershed in the history of race in America. Yet even in what is being hailed as the post-civil rights era, racial divisions―particularly between blacks and whites―remain deeply entrenched in American life. Sugrue traces Obama's evolving understanding of race and racial inequality throughout his career, from his early days as a community organizer in Chicago, to his time as an attorney and scholar, to his spectacular rise to power as a charismatic and savvy politician, to his dramatic presidential campaign. Sugrue looks at Obama's place in the contested history of the civil rights struggle; his views about the root causes of black poverty in America; and the incredible challenges confronting his historic presidency.

Does Obama's presidency signal the end of race in American life? In Not Even Past , a leading historian of civil rights, race, and urban America offers a revealing and unflinchingly honest assessment of the culture and politics of race in the age of Obama, and of our prospects for a postracial America.

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics, American History, African American

184 pages, Hardcover

First published April 12, 2010

Reviews

[Craig Werner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Based on a series of lectures Sugrue delivered at Princeton early in Obama's first term, this book does a good job explaining how Obama's political stances grow out of, and represent a nuanced argument with, the histories of race and civil rights in America since the 1960. Sugrue, who's books on Detroit and the civil rights movement in the North are essential reading, moves fluidly from the now-mythic civil rights movement of the 60s through Black Power and the backlash that brought Reagan to office, the multiculturalism, identity politics and culture wars of the 80s and 90s, to the ostensibly "color blind" new millennium when even those who are working overtime to cut off paths of opportunity for the urban poor do so in the name of an utterly unrecognizable Martin Luther King, Jr. Sugrue sketches deft portraits of some of the players who receive relatively little attention in most stories of race: Harold Washington, Jeremiah Wright, and sociologist William Julius Wilson, who's arguments for policies that make no direct reference to race exerted a huge impact on both Bill Clinton and Obama. Sugrue's at his best explaining how Obama's emphasis on personal responsibility is consistent with some of the deepest traditions of African American life; and how he managed in his 2008 campaign to forge the seemingly distinct traditions of civil rights, black power and contemporary color blindness into a coherent appeal.

I gave this three instead of four stars in part because it's very much of its moment; all Sugrue could do was speculate on what Obama would do once he took office and he clearly didn't forsee the viciousness of the right wing attacks that have plagued every minute since his inauguration. Still, it's a useful book for thinking about how Obama rose to power and the unresolved tensions reflected in Sugrue's title (an allusion to William Faulkner's oft-quoted line, "the past isn't dead, it's not even past.")

[Theon Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

While much of the information in this book was familiar to me given my ongoing research on the Obama presidency and American culture, I found Sugrue's insights valuable, especially as it relates to working through the impact of the Obama presidency on race relations. Perhaps what I found to be most helpful was Sugure's discussion of the economic philosophy underpinning the president's approach to racial inequalities in society. Specifically, Sugrue links Obama's approach to that of noted Harvard professor William Julius Wilson, known for works such as The Declining Significance of Race: Blacks and Changing American Institutions, Third Edition and The Truly Disadvantaged: The Inner City, the Underclass, and Public Policy.

[Michael Vavrus · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author does an excellent job of helping us understand Obama's perspective and policy stance on issues of race and civil rights. Very readable.

[Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great piece of writing, that doesn't just focus on Obama but gives detailed research on the context and the people that informed his thinking. Highly recommend!

[Mary Gail O'Dea · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good look at three critical areas of Obama's relationship with race: 1. "This Is My Story": Obama, Civil Rights, and Memory; 2. Obama and the Truly Disadvantaged: The Politics of Race and Class; and 3. "A More Perfect Union": The Burden of Race in Obama's America. Obama clearly is NOT of the Jesse Jackson era of Black politicians -- in fact, they are not entirely comfortable with him. He fits more with Bill Cosby and other African Americans who insist that the African American community must take more responsibility for their own lives and destinies. At the same time, he also insists that the truly disadvantaged of any race must be held up by American society. A quick and informatie read.