Post Black: How a New Generation Is Redefining African American Identity

(Paperback)

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As a young journalist covering black life at large, author Ytasha L. Womack was caught unaware when she found herself straddling black culture's rarely acknowledged generation gaps and cultural divides. Traditional images show blacks unified culturally, politically, and socially, united by race at venues such as churches and community meetings. But in the "post black" era, even though individuals define themselves first as black, they do not necessarily define themselves by tradition as much as by personal interests, points of view, and lifestyle. In Post Black: How a New Generation Is Redefining African American Identity, Womack takes a fresh look at dynamics shaping the lives of contemporary African Americans. Although grateful to generations that have paved the way, many cannot relate to the rhetoric of pundits who speak as ambassadors of black life any more than they see themselves in exaggerated hip-hop images. Combining interviews, opinions of experts, and extensive research, Post Black will open the eyes of some, validate the lives of others, and provide a realistic picture of the expanding community.

Reviews

An innovative, fresh take on black identity in the 21st Century. This book shows the unique diversity in the black community, one often mistaken to be monolithic, but is anything but. A must read. --Bob Meadows, writer, People Magazine
Post Black hits home with sincerity, courage, hope, and passion that empowers the reader to look deep into the heart of one of most intriguing and pervasive debates in the African American experience. --John Jennings, associate professor of design; teacher, The Visual Culture of Hip Hop; and illustrator, The Hole: Consumer Culture
Ytasha Womack is rewriting the script for Hip Hop generation authors. Her work challenges norms, as she seeks to represent the multiple and intersectional identities of contemporary black professionals that have yet to be adequately illustrated in popular culture. --Dawn-Elissa Fischer, PhD, assistant professor, Department of Africana Studies, San Francisco State University; associate director, Hip Hop Archive, Harvard University

Author Bio

Ytasha L Womack is a journalist and film-maker, and the coeditor of the award-winning anthology Beats, Rhymes, and Life. She is the director and producer of several award-winning films, including The Engagement, Love Shorts, and Tupac. A current guest editor with NV Magazine and frequent contributor to Ebony, she is a former editor at Upscale and former staff writer for the Chicago Defender. Her work has appeared in the Chicago Tribune, Emerge, Essence, Honey, King, VIBE, and XXL, as well as the comic book Delete. She lives in Chicago. Derek T. Dingle is the senior vice president and editor in chief of Black Enterprise magazine.