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Party Crashing: How the Hip-Hop Generation Declared Political Independence Keli Goff Publisher: Perseus Publishing, $16.95, 294pp ISBN-13: 9780465003327 |
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For the last forty years the label "black voter" has been virtually synonymous with "Democrat" but a new generation of voters is changing that. In her provocative new book Party Crashing, political commentator Keli Goff introduces America's newest swing voter. Like soccer moms and Nascar dads before them, young, black voters born after the Civil Rights movement are becoming increasingly up for grabs, politically speaking. While the politics of their parents and grandparents were shaped by the Civil Rights Movement, Goff notes that the politics of her peers, members of the post-Civil Rights generation, have been shaped by a number of cultural influencers that transcend race; from "The Cosby Show," to icons such as Oprah Winfrey, and the tragedy of 9/11. Civil rights has long been the defining political issue for black Americans but for this emerging generation of black voters, civil rights is now one issue among many that define their politics. As a result, they are challenging the idea that one's skin color should color one's political identity, and they are also challenging the idea that they should be Democrats. Since the support of black Americans has been crucial to the success of democratic candidates—from Presidents Kennedy to Clinton—this shift could be one of the most important developments in modern politics, arguably as important as the Civil Rights movement itself. Along with the political shift occurring, Goff also examines the cultural shift that is taking place on a wide range of issues including: gay marriage, hip-hop, and the emergence of what Goff calls "Generation Obama." Through in-depth interviews with young, black voters, groundbreaking survey research, and conversations with a range of high profile Americans—from Colin Powell to Russell Simmons—Party Crashing explores the issues and people who have helped shape the politics of the post-Civil Rights Generation, and how this generation is reshaping America. Comment on this book or review on QBR BLACK INK, our blogspot.
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I See Black People: The Rise and Fall of African Amercian Owned Television and Radio Minority Owned Television and Radio Kristal Brent Zook Perseus Publishing, $18.95, 304pp ISBN-13: 9781560259992 |
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I See Black People is a narrative history of the behind-the-scenes politics of black television and radio ownership, including the stories of the failure of the Black Famlly Channel, The World African Network, and Russell Simmons Fabulous TV, as well as that of Catherine Hughes, who’d aggressively acquired radio stations, becoming the first black woman to head a firm that publicly traded on the stock exchange. While securing its place in the marketplace, the company is now 20 percent black owned. By offering insights into the failure of public policy that have impeded black access to ownership through the last thirty years, the author explores that current state of black media and questions its direction.
Comment on this book or review on QBR BLACK INK, our blogspot.
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Freedom’s Prophet: Bishop Richard Allen, the AME Church, and the Black Founding Fathers Richard S.Newman NYU Press, $34.95, 368pp ISBN-13: 9780814758267 |
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A long overdue biography of Richard Allen, founder of the first major African American church and the leading black activist of the early American republic. A tireless minister, abolitionist, and reformer, Allen inaugurated some of the most important institutions in African American historyand influenced nearly every black leader of the nineteenth century, from Douglass to Dubois. Allen was born a slave in colonial Philadelphia, secured his freedom during the American Revolution, and became one of the nation's leading activists before the Civil War. Among his many achievements, Allen helped form the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church. In a time when most blak men and women were catorgorized as slave property, Allen was championed as a black hero.
Comment on this book or review on QBR BLACK INK, our blogspot.
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