Race, Power, and the Obama Legacy [Paperback]

This book critically examines Obamas presidency and legacy, especially in regard to race, inequality, education, and political power. Orelus depicts an interest convergence factor that led many White liberals and the corporate media to help Obama get elected in 2008 and 2012. He assesses Obamas political accomplishments, including parts of his domestic policies that support gay rights and equal pay for women. Special attention is given to Obamas educational policies, like Race to the Top, and the effects of such policies on both the learning and academic outcome of students, particularly linguistically and culturally diverse students. In a race and power framework, Orelus relates domestic policies to the effects of Obamas foreign policies on the lives of people in poorer countries, especially where innocent children and women have been killed by war and drone strikes authorized by Obamas administration. The author invites readers to question and transcend the historical symbolism of Obamas political victory in an effort to carefully examine and critique his actions as reflected through both his domestic and foreign policies.

Foreword by Mike Cole Introduction by Curry Malott 1. Race, Power, Obamas Presidency and Legacy 2. Obama Dancing with Voucher Capitalism and White Hegemony 3. Obama Caught at the Crossroad of Black Masculinity and White Patriarchy 4. Obama: A Black Face of the US Imperialist and Neocolonial Power? 5. Obama Trapped in Professor Luis Gatess and Sgt. Crowleys Racial Storm 6. Beyond Obama's Historical Symbolism: A Conversation with Eduardo Bonilla-Silva 7. Obamas Foreign Policy and Its Implications for His legacy Afterword by Paul R. Carr

Pierre Orelus has written an insightful, far-reaching and highly significant critique of the presidency of the first African-American to hold the office in the USA.

Paul Carr, co-author of The Phenomenon of Obama and the Agenda for Education