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January
Recap
January was a very busy and sometimes difficult
month. The entire world continues to share in
the horror of continued suffering in Haiti as
that nation both grieves and begins to find a
path to recovery.
We observed the one year anniversary
of President Obama's inauguration, but found
our nation still gridlocked on health care reform.
The New Orleans mayoral race has been my main
focus throughout January. My partner, James
Perry,
is in the final days of his primary bid. The
election is on February 6th and the process has
been both exciting and exhausting.
Oh, yeah,
and the New Orleans Saints are headed to the
Super Bowl!
Melissa |
Recent
Media Appearances
On
Obama's First Year
Bill Moyers Journal
PBS
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Obama's
America
MSNBC
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Haiti
and New Orleans
GritTV with Laura Flanders
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The
Challenges of Naming Race
The Rachel Maddow Show
MSNBC
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Recent
Writings
SOTU
as National Rorschach Test
THE NATION
January 28, 2010
 A
contemporary State of the Union address is less an assessment
of our national circumstances than it is a collective Rorschach
test: an inkblot given meaning by the viewer more than by the
subject. The televised pageantry of applause and ovations has
little to do with the President's articulation of a policy agenda
and far more to do with how his partisan allies and opponents
read the electoral viability of his phrases.
President Obama's
address on Wednesday night felt like a heightened version of
this classic psychological evaluation. Reactions to it will tell
us less about the President and more about the country and our
willingness to embrace and tackle the difficulties that we face.
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How
Barack Obama is like Martin Luther King, Jr.
THE NATION
January 17, 2010
 All
progress is precarious, and the solution of one problem brings
us face to face with another problem. –Martin Luther King,
Jr.
Barack Obama accepted the Democratic nomination for the presidency
on the anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr's historic "I
have a dream" speech. He was inaugurated the day after our
national holiday celebrating the life and accomplishments of
Dr. King. Many asked if Obama's presidency was the realization
of King's dream. Cultural products, from t-shirts to YouTube
videos, linked Obama's election to King's legacy.
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On
Reid and Racism
THE NATION
January 11, 2010
 Joe
Biden once remarked that Barack Obama was "clean" and "articulate." He
is now Vice President. During the Democratic primaries Hillary
Clinton invoked Robert Kennedy in a way that implied Barack Obama's
assassination was imminent. She is now the Secretary of State.
It is foolish to suggest Senator Harry Reid should step down
as Senate majority leader because of his 2008 assessment that
Barack Obama's election was more likely because he is "light-skinned" and
free from "Negro dialect."
If President Obama has demonstrated
anything at all, it is that he is unperturbed by the racially
awkward outbursts of his fellow Democrats.
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Who
Are You Calling Crazy?
THE NATION
January 5, 2010
 Madness
was a recurring theme in American politics last year. I received
daily calls, emails, texts, and tweets from folks on the Left
declaring "these Republicans are crazy," "the
GOP has gone mad," or simply, "this county is nuts." "Wingnuts" became
a common way to describe vehement, political opponents on the
Right.
Americans have an interesting history of conflating our
political disagreements with diagnosis of mental illness. In
a terrific new book, psychiatrist and historian Jonathan Metzl
tells one of these fascinating stories. Metzl's book, The Protest
Psychosis: How Schizophrenia Became a Black Disease is exceptional
and unexpected.
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Reid
Wrong on Many Levels
CNN.COM
January 12, 2010
 Sen.
Harry Reid's comments during the 2008 Democratic primary show
that he is socially awkward, but they certainly don't prove he
is a secret racist. If anything, these comments show that Reid
may know about white voters, but he doesn't understand black
voters at all.
Reid's assessment that President Obama's light
skin was beneficial to his electability among white voters may
be accurate, but it's certainly not decisive. Think of it this
way: We can divide white voters into three categories relative
to black candidates.
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Why
I'm Proud of James Perry
HUFFINGTON POST
January 20, 2010
 Last
week the national media finally turned it's attention to the
New Orleans mayoral election. The coverage was predictably disappointing.
The city is facing arguably the most important election in its
history, and the New York Times decided to report the more sensational,
but less substantive issue of whether the city would elect its
first white mayor since the 1970s.
I've spent the year working
on the New Orleans mayoral campaign of my partner, James Perry.
The view from inside James' campaign is very different. After
a year of hard work and tough choices, I can easily say that
I have never been more proud of any candidate for any office
as I am of James Perry and his campaign.
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January 2010 -
About Melissa
Melissa Harris-Lacewell is Associate Professor of Politics and African American Studies at Princeton University. She is the author of the award-winning book, Barbershops,
Bibles, and BET: Everyday Talk and Black Political Thought. And she is currently at work on a new book: Sister
Citizen: A Text For Colored Girls Who've Considered Politics When Being Strong
Wasn't Enough.
Learn More...
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Me On...
 
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2009
Contact
Melissa General Inquiries
info@melissaharrislacewell.com
Speaking Engagements and Public Appearances
Lynne Murphy, Media Relations Specialist
harrislacewellmedia@yahoo.com |
