Well, that mission was accomplished. This book is very accessible, and one does not need to be a Washington insider to follow along. In the beginning, you open with the following quote from Martin Luther King's Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community? (1967): "When the Negro was completely an underdog, he needed white spokesmen. Liberals played their parts in this period exceedingly well… But now that the Negro has rejected his role as an underdog, he has become more assertive in his search for identity and group solidarity; he wants to speak for himself." How did King's consciousness about what was happening 40 years ago shape the content of Party Crashing?
Well, when one speaks of the civil rights generation, Martin Luther King is clearly the icon. Since Party Crashing is an analysis of the relationship between the civil rights generation and the generation that followed, I thought it was really important that the first half of the book started there. The really interesting irony — and the reason why this particular quote was picked — is because the relationship between black Americans and the Democratic Party was built in large part on this heroic movement. As time progressed and the country moved away from polarizing conversations about race, my research showed black Americans moved further away from the Democratic Party. The Democratic Party's relationship with black voters is almost paternalistic, right? I'm here for you, I'll take care of you, and you can count on me. But at some point, you have to grow up. You speak for yourself, and you say, "That's great, but I am my own person with my own voice." At a certain point, you evolve as an individual. You have the right to evolve beyond the group identity and find your voice and find your vote. So that quote, even though it was 40 years ago, really encapsulates that idea. I want to see for myself. I want to think for myself. That means I may be a Democrat or I may not, but I have a right to do what I wish to do.
Your research notes that 35% of young, black Americans between the ages of 18 and 24 identify themselves as political independents, so that certainly is an interesting progression. In Chapter 5 ("The Search for America's White Leader"), you note that the concept of black leadership is being redefined as well. The news media routinely uses the term "black leader," although the experiences and accomplishments of prominent "black leaders" are not tied exclusively to the black community. Condoleezza Rice, Colin Powell, Barack Obama, and Oprah Winfrey are rarely thought of in popular culture as "black leaders." Like you, I can't recall the last time I heard anyone use the term "white leader," although there are leaders that are without question white. Amongst politicians, pundits and the media, it is understood that white Americans represent a diverse array of ideas and are not a monolithic people. Similar consideration is hardly given to black Americans, however.
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