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I recently asked these four questions. Below is one reply, from Adam Clayton Powell III. Please join the conversation either by tweeting @Digital_Du_Bois or by leaving a comment at the bottom of this or any other post on www.digitaldubois.net]
Hi Ernie,
Especially for lecture 2, but across all of them, you could claim to launch a discussion of what a post-Obama era means for African Americans — and not just in technology.
Obviously the President is term-limited, and there are no black Presidential candidates in sight. But beyond that, his political victory — and coalition — is dependent in large part on the incompetence of his adversaries. For example, note Andy Kohut’s assertion that Romney is the weakest presidential candidate in recent history (see this column).
In the future, which starts with the 2013 elections, African Americans cannot count on such weakness among those who would impede or reverse our interests.
Add to that the growing political strength of Latinos. And there are now more Asian American voters than African American voters in California, Oregon and Washington. Both groups abandoned the GOP this year but could return to a pre-2012 in the future. And the percentage of African Americans voting will presumably decline with a white candidate at the top of the ticket.
So what does that mean for African Americans and for America?
I look forward to your exploring this question!
Cheers
Adam
Adam Clayton Powell III is a Senior Fellow, USC Center on Communication Leadership and Policy University Fellow, USC Center on Public Diplomacy University of Southern California