Political empowerment fading for black Americans in the age of Obama
Hailed by some as the “end of race as we know it” and
the beginning of a “post-racial” America, the 2008 election of Barack
Obama sparked a measurable bump in feelings of political empowerment
among black Americans. But those sentiments have faded considerably over
the last year or so, according to a new analysis of political survey
data, with the sharpest declines in perceived political power coming
among blacks who identify themselves as conservatives or “born again”
Christians.