Title: Democracy remixed /
Authors: Cohen, Cathy J., 1961-
Publisher: Oxford University Press,
Year: 2010
Subjects: African American youth Social conditions.; African American youth Political activity.; United States Race relations; United States Politics and government.
Abstract: "While Barack Obama's victory led many to believe that America's racial divide had significantly narrowed, if not been eliminated, the facts belie this. Black youth today continue to be plagued by low levels of employment, high levels of incarceration, and a profound lack of trust in the government and broader political community. Yet discussions of why this is have been largely anecdotal, often putting the blame on black youth themselves--even when the commentators are also black. Think of Bill Cosby's criticism, for example, or the writings of Stanley Crouch and Juan Williams. In Democracy Remixed, award-winning scholar Cathy J. Cohen offers an authoritative and empirically powerful analysis of the state of black youth in America today. Utilizing the results from the Black Youth Project, a groundbreaking nationwide survey, Cohen focuses on what young Black Americans actually experience and think--and underscores the political repercussions. Featuring their stories from cities across the country, she reveals that black youth want, in large part, what most Americans want--a good job, a fulfilling life, safety, respect, and equality. But while this generation shares much in common with the rest of America, they also believe that equality does not yet exist, at least not in their lives. Many believe that they are treated as second-class citizens. Moreover, for many the future seems bleak when they look at their neighborhoods, their schools, and even their own lives and choices. Through their words, these young people provide a complex and balanced picture of the intersection of opportunity and discrimination in their lives."--Publisher description.
Contents: "My petition" : black youth and the promise of democratic citizenship -- "Gangsta rap made me do it" : Bill Cosby, Don Imus, and black moral panics -- "Baby mama" : black love, black deviance, and the sexual politics of morality -- "Minority report" : Kanye West, Barack Obama, and political alienation (with Jamila Celestine Michener) -- "Fight the power" : from Jena to the White House -- "My president is black" : Barack Obama and the postracial illusion -- Epilogue : "A change is gonna come" : policy and politics.