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Why This Book Matters:

We Were Eight Years in Power discusses Obama’s presidency, racism, and white supremacy in American history.

The Big Takeaways:

  1. Obama’s presidency allowed more opportunities for black creators, but they didn’t all tell the facts.
    1. If Cosby turns racism against black people onto black people, making it a problem that exists from black culture.
  2. Michelle Obama’s story represents an aspect of black America despite it being unexpected.
    1. Black people are free to act in their own way in their own communities, but code-switch when they venture into the rest of society.
  3. Slavery, while a huge part of American history, has always been downplayed.
    1. This is because the truth makes too many people uncomfortable.
  4. Reparations for black people sound insane to some, but it actually makes sense.
    1. Black people had their land stolen and were treated horribly by even the northern communities in the mid-19th century.
  5. Incarceration rates for African-Americans are disproportionately high because we criminalize them for being black.
    1. When black fathers are locked up, a lot of families lose their breadwinner and thus struggle to get by.

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