Ta-Nehisi Coates
- : http://www.ta-nehisi.com/
- : Ta-Nehisi Coates has written for The Atlantic, The Washington Monthly, and The Nation. His memoir, The Beautiful Struggle, is coming out in May.
The tragedy of Jesse Jackson
One constantly overlooked fact about Jesse is that he--quite literally--made Barack Obama possible. People often say this in a really hazy, metaphorical way, pointing out that Jesse "paved the way" or "knocked down doors" for Barack. But those sort of...more »
Posted on July 14, 2008 11:17 AM
The Post-Black Man's Burden
This is why Obama's Father's Day speech leaves me ultimately cold. To see people whose understanding of hip-hop doesn't extend past a few random viewings of BET, or their disgust at the handful of black boys they happen to notice...more »
Posted on June 17, 2008 10:58 AM
More dumb questions about Barack Obama and black folks
If there is one thing I'd like my white readers to get out of this blog, it is some sense of the great diversity of opinion and sensibility which exist within black America. One of the most poisonous ideas to...more »
Posted on June 9, 2008 7:51 AM
The Oppression Olympics (Again)
The most depressing aspect of Democratic primary is the fact that for many of us, it still is 1993. We can disregard the Republicans because, Barack's observation aside, these cats ain't really looking like the party of ideas. Should we...more »
Posted on May 19, 2008 7:35 AM
The Negro Sings Of Zionism
There's something distasteful about this whole need for Barack Obama to assure us that he is, indeed, the best friend Israel could ever have. Jeffrey Goldberg has been beaten up some, but I've enjoyed much of his work. Indeed if...more »
Posted on May 13, 2008 7:15 AM
The Myth Of The Black Racist Voter
One very foolish meme that's made it's way into the primary is this notion that black people voting for Barack in large margins is the equivalent (or on the scale of racism, arguably worse) of white people breaking for Hillary...more »
Posted on May 12, 2008 3:34 PM
Introductions
Hey all. My name is Ta-Nehisi Coates. I'm a struggling writer (is there any other kind?), novice blogger, the father of a lovely baby boy (he's seven, guess I better stop calling him "a baby."), and an admitted member of...more »
Posted on May 12, 2008 2:09 PM
Bursting the Elite Bubble
Glad to see Jim Sleeper joining the conversation on Obama and the future of this great conversation on race. I have to say though, that it put me in the mind of another conflict in the 1990s—the rupture of the...more »
Posted on April 2, 2008 10:57 AM
The Issue is Black and White
I think, without a doubt, Obama's speech definitely advanced the dialogue. I thought it was the most complex, layered speech on race I've ever heard from a politician. Furthermore, it was one of the brainiest meditations on any subject I've...more »
Posted on March 31, 2008 12:11 PM
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Dude, me and every black person I know LOVES Cracker Barrel. It reminds us all of our grandmothers Sunday breakfast. It's all connected brother.
Posted at June 9, 2008 10:05 AM in response to More dumb questions about Barack Obama and black folks
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"I know plenty of lefty black intellectuals who've formed great friendships with lefty Jewish intellectuals, much of it based on the commonalities in historical narrative. That would be a pretty apt description of me and one of my best friends."
- this "some of my best friends" approach is also absurd!
Sorry if I wasn't clear about this guys. I cited my own friendship to show that blacks and Jewish thinkers often run in the same circles, and find a mutual affection based on similar narratives. My point was that that affinity is often mistakenly transposed on to the broader rank and file, as Bar Kafka says. That said, I'd agree that it shouldn't be disregarded,
I'd also agree that the "some of my best friends" defense is, indeed, absurd, especially when used to insulate oneself against the charges of bigotry. My goals were simpler. Besides, if I am a bigot, I doubt there's much my Jewish friends can do to save me.
Posted at May 13, 2008 8:57 AM in response to The Negro Sings Of Zionism
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Thanks for the response Jim. My apologies. I took your reference to cookie-cutter diversity in higher ed as an implicit reference to Affirmative Action. I also agree that we shouldn't brand certain problems as unworthy of attention. I'm only arguing that we keep them in context and proportion with all the other dimensions of the racial landscape.
As for beginning one of my comments, "as a black person," what can I say? It's who I am. I never thought of it as a part of a problem or part of a solution. It's just who I am. Nothing more. Nothing less.
Ta-Nehisi
Posted at April 2, 2008 3:27 PM in response to Bursting the Elite Bubble
