Oppression and Privilege

“It is easy to overlook change when it happens ….” (Ifill 2009) p. 14. With this phrase, Gwen Ifill sets the theme for her analysis of what is happening with black political leadership. It is a tale of what she calls “sandpaper politics.” The phrase is meant to connote the friction which occurs in the shift of power from an older generation of black political leaders to an emerging one and the resistance of some in white society to any black political advance. All of this is crosscut by gender conflicts. It is also a reminder of the importance of keeping up with contemporary history.