The work of Professor Peniel E. Joseph is certainly one of a kind. He provides important analysis of the complex political issues being faced by African Americans, and how the past of black politics serves to create its present and future. In the age of Obama, black America has undergone an unprecedented political education as we balance our need to fight the power with the fact that some of us actually are in power. At the same time, we are learning that having limited access to power is not always the same as being fully empowered. So, it is for that reason that Peniel E. Joseph is today's Dr. Boyce Watkins Spotlight on AOL Black Voices.

What is your name and what do you do?

My name is Peniel E. Joseph and I am a professor of history at Tufts University and author of the award winning books 'Waiting Til the Midnight Hour: A Narrative History of Black Power in America and Dark Days,' and 'Bright Nights: From Black Power to Barack Obama.' I am a frequent national commentator on issues of race, democracy, and civil rights and have appeared on C-SPAN Book TV, CNN, and MSNBC. During the 2008 presidential election I provided historical analysis for the PBS News Hour with Jim Lehrer. My essays have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Chronicle Review, and Book Forum.


Tell us about your book and why it's important for people to read it.
My latest book, 'Dark Days, Bright Nights: From Black Power to Barack Obama,' examines the pivotal role that Black Power era radicals played in shaping the social, political, and cultural terrain that allowed for Obama's election. It offers an alternative analysis to the popular conception that only mainstream civil rights activists have positively impacted American race relations and democracy.

When Obama was elected, some were declaring an end to black politics. What do you think about this statement?

Well the idea of the "end of black politics" was always shortsighted. There will always be a black agenda as long as there is institutional racism in the United States. That being said, Obama's election added complexity to the body politic without rendering the pivotal importance of black politics suddenly irrelevant.

What are some of the short-comings with regard to the state of black politics in America? What are some remedies for these problems?
Too often black politics, that is the hopes, dreams, and aspirations that concern the majority of African Americans, is somehow seen and defined as separate from the larger body politic. This often relegates the genuine concerns that black folk have about unemployment, education, mass incarceration, health care, wealth creation, home ownership, AIDS/HIV prevention, etc. into a mere special interest and somehow unworthy of the larger goals of the nation.

Black politics needs to be expansively defined beyond the parameters of elected officials to include a cross-section of community voices: religious, intellectual, labor, environmental, prisoners, and working and poor people.

What are your thoughts about the divisions within black leadership that took place with the emergence of President Obama in 2008? Namely, the public spats with Tavis Smiley, Jesse Jackson and others. What does that mean for the future of black leadership?
Historically, there has always been robust political debate within the black community and certainly Obama's election did not somehow end this discourse. However, in certain instances the almost universal praise and admiration for the president, for obvious reasons, has made it more difficult for voices of dissent to gain a fair hearing for fear that they are piling on rather than being constructively critical.

What do you see for Obama over the next two years? Do you feel that African Americans have a healthy relationship with our president?
Based on the 2010 mid-term elections the next two years seem poised to be a time based on political consolidation of past achievements rather than the passage of any bold new legislation. It also offers, as we witnessed in the aftermath of the shooting tragedy in Tuscon, Arizona, an opportunity for the president to display statesmanship at times of unanticipated crisis.

The black community is experiencing a watershed historical moment with the Obama presidency that's truly difficult to put into words. For the first time in American history we have a president who is also considered a major leader within the black community. The health of this relationship will depend on whether or not African Americans can leverage their concerns into public policy that reaches beyond the very powerful symbolism of having the first black head of state. The right wing assault on President Obama has only deepened the inclination on the part of many African Americans to publicly close ranks and support Obama, even when they disagree deeply with his policies or actions out of concern for his political future. Such concern is certainly understandable, even admirable in some instances, but can also be deeply troubling if the black community finds itself supporting a president out of racial solidarity without questioning larger policies connected to war, the criminal justice system, poverty, and race. The black community must navigate a tightrope between asserting its support for Obama and holding him politically accountable for enacting policies that support social, political, and economic justice.

Is there anything else you'd like to share with our AOL Black Voices audience?
You can find out more about me and my work at www.penielejoseph.com.

Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and the author of the bookBlack American Money To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here. To suggest a subject for a Dr. Boyce Watkins Spotlight, please click here.