The Purgatory of Consciousness: Black Politics in the Obama Era

What is the opposite of the sunken place portrayed in Jordan Peele critically acclaimed movie Get Out? Dr. Joseph L. Jones argues it is the purgatory of consciousness a mental space where black communities are hypnotized by hope in electoral politics or this case, the election of America’s first Black President. This book is a collection of opinion pieces Jones wrote in real time throughout the Barack Obama Presidency to highlight some of the shortcomings and contradictions during this era. Using political satirist, ‘ Arron McGruder’s Boondocks animation tv episode Its a Black President Huey as a framework, Jones writes with sober convictions on issues of politics, black identity, black institutions, historical memory, and justice. Whether he is arguing that Obama treats black communities as a political mistress or that black churches ought to democratize, Jones writes to provoke black communities to think differently about their politics, leaders, and institutions. Ultimately, he attributes the rise of woke politics as America’s awakening due to shortcomings of the Obama presidency and the election of Donald Trump.