Behind the smoke and mirrors: Barack Obama the symbol ands [sic] the disappearance of the Black underclass in America

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2013
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Haverford College. Department of Political Science
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Award
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eng
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Haverford users only
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Abstract
Barack Obama's electoral victory holds unprecedented historical meaning; however, the symbolic meaning of this event faces the possibility of creating an illusion of racial progress and racial equity that is simply untrue (Alexander, Michelle 2010, pp. 246). In fact, "As recent data shows, however, much of black progress is a myth," (Alexander, Michelle 2010, pp. 246). The emphasis placed on Obama's individual success and achievements overlook and undermine the permanent underclass status of Black masses and minority communities that are subject to social, economic and political invisibility and decline. In this paper, I seek to address two questions. First, what are the limitations of the symbolic meaning of Barack Obama's electoral success? Second, does his ascent serve to reinforce or challenge the longstanding racial hierarchy in the United States? I hypothesize and contend that the symbolic emphasis placed on Obama's electoral success serves to undermine, overshadow, and disappear large portions of the Black population in society. Second, Obama's rejection of the traditional Black agenda and his refusal to discuss present‐day forms of racial discrimination overlook the racial inequalities that continually perpetuate American society. As a result, the institutions and systems of racial inequality go unchallenged, which reinforce a racial hierarchical system that has been embedded in society. Many people consider the current state of race relations and racial equality to be moving in a positive direction, if not a finished project in the United States (Alexander, Michelle 2010, pp. 2). However, Obama's electoral victory masks the cleavages of racial prejudice and systematic institutions of racial injustice that continually permeate US society. Missing from the conversation of racial progress and racial equality is the Black working and lower‐class. Racial inequalities persist in areas of poverty, employment, education, health, housing and incarceration (CNN 2009, pp. 1). The democratic virtues of equality and premature claims of post‐racialism have ignored present‐day systems of inequality that have historically and continue to disadvantage Blacks in society. I argue that this illusion of racial progress and success has created a permanent underclass of Black and minority citizens that are marginalized, and made invisible to the rest of American society.
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