A more perfect union: : Black freedoms, white houses

• Autores: Jasmine Nichole Cobb
• Localización: Public culture, ISSN-e 1527-8018, Vol. 28, Nº. 1 (Issue 78), 2016
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • Commemorations of significant events in African American history have taken on new significance since a black first family moved into the White House. President Barack Obama’s consecutive terms have coincided with the anniversaries of various legislative victories associated with the social and political advancement of black Americans. These moments underscore the way the president represents the fulfillment of civil rights struggles. Not merely a symbol, however, Obama also guides public opinion in these instances. At events such as the dedication of the Martin Luther King Jr. monument on the National Mall, the president reminded audiences that the historic March on Washington some fifty years ago was a gathering “for jobs and for freedom” (Obama 2011). Obama described the “full decade” from Brown v. Board of Education to the passage of the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act—among the watershed moments with significant anniversaries during his presidential term. Although he referenced freedom at several moments in his speech, the term slavery never appeared. Instead, the president explained that King committed to “freeing black America from the shackles of discrimination, but also freeing many Americans from their own prejudices, and freeing Americans of every color from the depredations of poverty.” Black freedom remains an amorphous concept at this celebration, but based on Obama’s cues, it exists amid emancipation from racism, the legacy of civil rights activism, and a black president