While white Americans were evenly divided about Bill Clinton's impeachment ninety percent of African-Americans opposed it. Now from a founding member of the National Association of Black Journalists comes a groundbreaking new book that explores the deep and unique connection between the former president and the black community-in the words of journalists, celebrities, academics, and other thoughtful Americans. Going well beyond mere TV punditry, luminaries such as Dr. Mary Frances Berry, Bill Gray, Kweisi Mfume, and Alice Randall, as well as ordinary citizens, offer insight into why African-Americans for the first time saw themselves in the soul of a president-Whether it was the large African-American presence in his administration, his perceived legal persecutions, his personal style, or his lasting yet tumultuous marriage-and why that kinship has sweeping cultural implications. Bill Clinton's actions, associations, and essence are all analyzed in light of their effect on and appeal to this crucial constituency. Much-awaited and long overdue, "Bill Clinton and Black America features fascinating, provocative interpretations of the special relationship between the black people and this extraordinary man who, when his presidency ended, moved his office from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue-White America's most famous address-to Harlem's 125th Street-the heart of Black America. "From the Hardcover edition.

“This book is a fascinating analysis of race and class in the age of President Bill Clinton. It provides much-needed clarity in regards to the myth of the ‘First Black President.’ It contributes much to our understanding of the history that informs our present moment!” —Cornel West As President Barack Obama was sworn into office on January 20, 2009, the United States was abuzz with talk of the first African American president. At this historic moment, one man standing on the inaugural platform, seemingly a relic of the past, had actually been called by the moniker the “first black president” for years. President William Jefferson Clinton had long enjoyed the support of African Americans during his political career, but the man from Hope also had a complex and tenuous relationship with this faction of his political base. Clinton stood at the nexus of intense political battles between conservatives’ demands for a return to the past and African Americans’ demands for change and fuller equality. He also struggled with the class dynamics dividing the American electorate, especially African Americans. Those with financial means seized newfound opportunities to go to college, enter the professions, pursue entrepreneurial ambitions, and engage in mainstream politics, while those without financial means were essentially left behind. The former became key to Clinton’s political success as he skillfully negotiated the African American class structure while at the same time maintaining the support of white Americans. The results were tremendously positive for some African Americans. For others, the Clinton presidency was devastating. Brother Bill examines President Clinton’s political relationship with African Americans and illuminates the nuances of race and class at the end of the twentieth century, an era of technological, political, and social upheaval.

Bill Clinton has always had a congenial relationship with African Americans, even being labeled "the first black president." Yet Clinton's presidency inflicted devastating harm on many black communities, from which they have yet to recover. Was Clinton a friend to black America? Or did his progressive rhetoric mask a ruthless opportunism? Was Clinton's attitude toward his black supporters "politically pragmatic" or "callously indifferent"? Superpredator is an in-depth look at Bill Clinton's treatment of black lives from Little Rock to Rwanda. Forcefully argued and meticulously sourced, Superpredator will change our view of America's 42nd president. Working with the Current Affairs research team, Nathan J. Robinson has produced a powerful indictment of Clinton's record on race.

A critical examination of Bill Clinton's record on crime, welfare, and civil rights.

An argument for intense and organized activism from the African American community to generate discussion on race in the United States. In a speech from which Nation of Cowards derives its title, Attorney General Eric Holder argued forcefully that Americans today need to talk more—not less—about racism. This appeal for candid talk about race exposes the paradox of Barack Obama’s historic rise to the US presidency and the ever-increasing social and economic instability of African American communities. David H. Ikard and Martell Lee Teasley maintain that such a conversation can take place only with passionate and organized pressure from Black Americans, and that neither Obama nor any political figure is likely to be in the forefront of addressing issues of racial inequality and injustice. The authors caution Blacks not to slip into an accommodating and self-defeating “post-racial” political posture, settling for the symbolic capital of a Black president instead of demanding structural change. They urge the Black community to challenge the social terms on which it copes with oppression, including acts of self-imposed victimization. “A clarion call to our nation’s conscience. Free from overly academic jargon, but full of powerful wordplay and brilliant juxtapositions, this book is a fascinating tour de force from start to finish. Those seeking a clear and concise explanation of the state of African America and the ongoing need for a “black agenda” during—and even after—the administration of the first African American president need look no further.” —Reiland Rabaka, author of The Hip Hop Movement and Du Bois: A Critical Introduction “Nation of Cowards offers an analysis of the Obama administration is as thorough as it is compact. Here are the hard questions that must be asked of the first black presidency and an insightful draft of how history may regard it. Ikard and Teasley are well ahead of that curve.” —Jelani Cobb, author of The Substance of Hope:Barack Obama & the Paradox of Progress

Cultural Writing. African American Studies. Biography and Memoir. Former Clinton diarist, Janis F. Kearney, pens a biography that is part historical narrative and part oral history. In 2001, Kearney began a journey, in search of black American's stories about the south that shaped a man and a leader such as William Jefferson Clinton; and memories about this southern enigma, from those who knew him. Over a two year span she collected conversations, memories, and stories from men and women from across the country. These conversations, and a carefully painted abstract of the pre-civil rights Arkansas that Bill Clinton called home; are the centerpieces of this biography. CONVERSATIONS includes rare and unheard voices of black Americans speaking candidly about America's 42nd President. Their memories, stories and thoughts on William J. Clinton, the man, the president and the enigma offer unique and rare pictures of Bill Clinton and his role in American and presidential history. The book include narratives from former President William J. Clinton; former Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater, U.S. Congressman John Lewis; Civil Rights leader, and NFPW Founder Dorothy Height; Baseball Great Hank Aaron; Pulitizer Prize winning biographer David Levering Lewis, and Harvard Sociologist, professor, William Julius Wilson, and many more.