My President Was Black

The article by Coates (2017) is a narration of the history of the first African-American president and his stay in the Whitehouse. The story is narrated in six sections covering his engagements in different policy areas. The author is quite adamant that the presidency was a huge success and especially to the black population. Part of the article covers the author’s interactions with the president from his very first time in politics in 2004.  According to the author, Obama has transformed into a remarkable politician over the past twelve years thus instilling pride among the African American population. Indeed, the smooth running of the white house during Obama’s presidency has been quoted as a good sign of the positivity that comes with black populations. The article explores the positive gains of the black presidency under Obama as well as the shortfalls that cost Hillary Clinton the seat in the last election.

The author paints an elaborate picture of the president’s final days in the office where a series of events are hosted at the White house. Perhaps the clamor with which the events are covered serves to depict the positive impact that the presidency had among the black population. Among the guests are famous and popular hip hop artists full of praise for the president’s role in uplifting the lives of the common Americans. Although Obama’s party is largely composed of black people, his presidency has been an attempt at bridging the discord pitting blacks against whites. In fact, the president is quoted as having said that it would be very difficult to run a presidential election while telling people that things are extremely terrible. The story of Obama is covered from his time as a young boy departed by his father to the role of a president in his later years.

The appeal with which the president approached the concept of politics is particularly appalling. Normally, black people would be full off resentment for their white counterparts following years of slavery and discrimination. That was however not the case with Obama who embraced all the citizens as part of a United States of America. The composition of his staff, for instance, includes people that face the wrath of Republicans including Muslims, Iranian Americans and black Americans. It is not surprising therefore that Obama continues to draw incredible support from huge sections of the population. The administration further depicted the white house with humility and simplicity, unlike past administrations that were nothing close to that. For instance, the first family would be pictured sharing light moments with comedians and musicians thus affirming their budding love for music.

I totally agree with the sentiments contained in the article with regard to the persona of President Obama. It would be hypocritical to advance a different perspective of the nature of the first family. That the first family treated their stay in the white house with humility and simplicity is a largely accepted fact. Further, the president did, in fact, present the white people with something that only a few black Americans could offer through trust. By bridging the discord between the whites and the blacks, Obama deviated from the norm of revenge that would have characterized most presidencies. Ideally, therefore, Coates (2017) is right in celebrating the very fact that his president was indeed black.

 

Work Cited

Coates, Te-Nehisi. “My President Was Black.” The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, Jan. & Feb. 2017. Web. 01 Feb. 2017.

 
Do you need an Original High Quality Academic Custom Essay?