Barack Obama Character Analysis in Stamped from the Beginning

Barack Obama was the 44th president—and first Black president—of the United States. Obama’s election in 2008 was seen as a victory over racism by individuals across the political spectrum. However, Kendi points out that his campaign and presidency was characterized by racist reactions from commentators as well as castigation of Black people from Obama himself.

Barack Obama Quotes in Stamped from the Beginning

The Stamped from the Beginning quotes below are all either spoken by Barack Obama or refer to Barack Obama. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

Discrimination, Racist Ideas, and Ignorance Theme Icon

).

Months into Obama’s presidency, the postracialists slammed down their new ground rules for race relations: Criticize millions of Black people whenever you want, as often as you want. That’s not racialism or racism or hate. You’re not even talking about race. But whenever you criticize a single White discriminator, that’s race-speak, that’s hate-speak, that’s being racist. If the purpose of racist ideas had always been to silence the antiracist resisters to racial discrimination, then the postracial line of attack may have been the most sophisticated silencer to date.

Related Characters: Ibram X. Kendi (speaker), Barack Obama

Page Number and Citation: 499

Explanation and Analysis:

Barack Obama Character Timeline in Stamped from the Beginning

The timeline below shows where the character Barack Obama appears in Stamped from the Beginning. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...as responsible for the problems they face. A young, freshly elected Illinois senator named Barack Obama criticizes Cosby, pointing out that it is impossible for Black people to take “responsibility” without... (full context)

In 2004, Obama publishes Dreams from My Father, a memoir in which he laments the desire that so... (full context)

...(as the U.S. had done in promising to “liberate” Afghani and Iraqi women). When Barack Obama announces his run for president in 2007, Delaware Senator (and another candidate for the Democratic... (full context)

During Obama’s campaign, he manages to appeal to what’s known as the “ambivalent majority”: assimilationists who acknowledge... (full context)

Republican segregationists remain steadfast in their opposition to Obama, investing in a conspiracy surrounding his birth certificate and the false rumor that he was... (full context)

Kendi writes that many of those who vote for Obama in 2008 are racist; voting for him does not make them any less so. While... (full context)