The Breakthrough

Politics and Race in the Age of Obama

February 17, 2009, 7:30pm – 8:30pm

About This Event

In The Breakthrough, veteran journalist Gwen Ifill surveys the American political landscape, shedding new light on the impact of Barack Obama's stunning presidential victory and introducing the emerging young African-American politicians forging a bold new path to political power.

Ifill argues that the black political structure formed during the Civil Rights movement is giving way to a generation of men and women who are the direct beneficiaries of the struggles of the 1960s. She offers incisive, detailed profiles of such prominent leaders as Newark Mayor Cory Booker, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, and U.S. Congressman Artur Davis of Alabama.

Drawing on exclusive interviews with power brokers such as President Obama, former Secretary of State Colin Powell, Vernon Jordan, the Reverend Jesse Jackson, his son Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr., and many others, as well as her own razor-sharp observations and analysis of such issues as generational conflict, the race-gender clash, and the "black enough" conundrum, Ifill shows why this is a pivotal moment in American history.

The Breakthrough is an essential foundation for understanding the future of American democracy in the age of Obama. Please join the Center for American Progress for a provocative discussion around this remarkable look at contemporary politics.

Copies of The Breakthrough will be available for purchase at the event.

Featured Author:
Gwen Ifill, author, The Breakthrough; moderator and managing editor, "Washington Week"

Moderated by:
John Podesta, president and chief executive officer, Center for American Progress

Location

Center for American Progress
1333 H St. NW, 10th Floor
Washington, DC 20005