Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Remembering Obama In The Era Of Trump, Dante Allen Miller

McNair Scholars Program Summer Research Symposium

People think the election of Obama led to post racial America. Our research seeks to understand how collective memory of generations affects political understandings of the election of President Obama and President Trump. Using Bonilla-Silva’s lens of racism without racist and Berlant’s theory of cruel optimism we argue that post racial ideas are optimistic and hinder how individuals remember Americas racial past. Through interviewing Generation X and Millennials we find personal relationships factor into how individuals recall political events more than candidate stances. Decoupling politics from person creates a phenomenon where individuals assume voting does not have social implications.