Barack Obama: Negotiating Blackness, Race, and Colour in a White America

Abstract

The research paper analyses Barack Obama’s relationship with race, blackness, and hybridity masked within his writings and speeches.  The paper delves through Obama's perception of racism, blackness, his received identity and perceived identity, his efforts to position himself within the lineage of black leaders, and his message to the African American society to hope for change. Buried underneath the eloquent verbosity is the message of hope to alleviate people from poverty that racism has brought upon black souls. Racism has tormented the lives of many black souls through its various ugly manifestations and rendered many homeless and unemployed.  Obama being an outsider unknown to many within political circles in Washington DC was able to make a dent in the imaginations of people around the world. His election as the president of the United States signaled to the world that the American dream is still possible. This paper analyzes Obama's non-conformity with a typical black man lacking agency and his efforts to break the stereotypes that define a black man. This paper examines how a black man whose lived experience is denied tried to assert himself and change the course of history by making himself known to the world through his engrossing memoirs and political speeches.