Oral history interview with Ta-Nehisi P. Coates, 2022
Abstract
Ta-Nehisi Coates reflects on the Obama presidency, and discusses his interviews and interactions with President Obama. Coates recounts his initial impressions of Barack Obama, and analyzes the 2008 presidential campaign cycle, with particular attention to the contemporary economic, social, and cultural circumstances that made the election of a Black candidate possible. He considers the Obama admini stration's handling of major events, and speaks widely about themes central to the presidency, including Obama's cultural power; the importance of attention to the symbolic power of the presidency; racist backlash to Obama's election and presence in the White House; the centrality of white supremacy in American history; Obama's pursuit of bipartisanship; and the relationship between the Obama presidency and the election of Donald Trump. Coates also describes his participation in Obama's off-the-record meetings with journalists and the series of interviews he conducted with the president during the final months of Obama's second term. Also discussed are Coates' evaluation of the Obama administration's major policy decisions and initiatives; the virtues and limitations of Obama's approach to politics; and the impact of Obama's election on Black writers, journalists, and media figures
Presidents--United States; Authors; White supremacy (Social structure)--History--United States; Black mass media--United States; Coates, Ta-Nehisi; Obama, Barack
Format
oral histories
Genre
Interviews
Date
2022
Physical Description
45 pages
Note (Biographical)
Ta-Nehisi Coates is an American journalist, essayist, author, and political commentator. During the years of the Obama presidency, Coates rose to national prominence in part through his writings on race, history, politics, and culture at The Atlantic. Among his notable works are the 2015 National Book Award-winning "Between the World and Me" and the 2017 "We Were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy," which compiled Coates' Atlantic essays on Obama and the years of the Obama presidency. Coates also interacted directly with President Obama and other Obama administration officials, including through a series of interviews he conducted with President Obama during the final months of the presidency
Note
Interviewed by Julius Wilson on July 29, 2022. This interview is part of the Columbia University: Obama Presidency Oral History
Note (Provenance)
Ta-Nehisi P. Coates, Gift, transferred from Columbia Center for Oral History Research 2023