[drums playing] [applause] [drums playing]. [drums playing]. [drums playing]. [cheering] [applause] thank you, thank you to the African Dance company and the children and junior company, that opened the way for us and for this evening. We like to thank macie and joseph who were the dance and drums instructors, thank you. [applause] my name is Sandra Bradley and im extending a warm welcome to everyone on behalf of van gogh videos and books. We all know in the language of ghana it means go back and fetch, reminding us not to forget our history and culture so we are proud that video and books is a sponsor for tonight and we want to thank them for 20 years for creating a space where we can gather, a space where we can strategize, a place where we can immerse ourselves in history and culture, get knowledge, curate events and thank you to the family for sacrificing a lot to create a space of the liberation , and shes a shy woman but the rima is right here. [applause] 20 years is no joke, 20 years is no joke. I remember when you were talking and planning in your basement and here we are. Speaking a liberated space, we are honored to be on hollow ground here in metropolitan ame church, founded in 1872, the Oldest Black Church in washington dc and it is the oldest piece of land in this city continuously owned by black people. At this time of changing demographics and realistic speculation we know that that is how we are found so we are forever grateful to Lester William around lamar, his ministerial staff, Church Administrator maria wallace, the churchs ambassador. This is a very well organized place, but let me tell you. You all the ministries, members of this congregation for continuing the metropolitans long legacy of social justice so let the church say amen. While we are giving thanks to others i want to acknowledge that we contribute a lot to the quality and character of this city. We are grateful to jazz and justice 89. 3 which is broadcasting this life, thank you for being our media partners. Were also being recorded tonight by cspan so we thank deedee for also being here as well as wamu fm. Since its founding, this church has been a really important place for people to gather, talk, for people to have discourse. Dunbar, mary mcleod afternoon, Nelson Mandela are just a few of the notable who have spoken here, dropped knowledge and insight. In january 1894, almost 125 years ago, antilynching abolitionists, journalists and or and or Frederick Douglass made his last speech from this pulpit. It was titled the lessons of the hour. In this speech he protested prejudice and racial injustice. And here we are yet again gathered in metropolitan ame contemplates those same themes and delivering the lessons of the hour for these days and times. To help us do that, we are graced by the analysis of two critical thinkers, who have proven by their track record as journalists and storytellers and writers that they are not deterred by the cacophony of insanity, be a version to history and science, the dog whistle politics and assertions of the news that dominate the National Landscape today. [applause] so it is my pleasure to introduce kojo nnamdi. [applause] my dear brother, you may be a son of diana but i have to take you because you love dc so much, you were although deep in quality of life issues or the city every day monday through friday. You can be heard at nine on wamu talking about whats up in dc, thank you. [applause] he is going to be hosting our conversation with Tanehisi Coates. Anybody who knows Tanehisi Coates knows he does not like a lot of praise. He is very uncomfortable with the enumeration of his accomplishments. So tanehisi. [applause] [cheering] so im not going to embarrass you too much but i am going to say that we love you and we are very proud of you and we are very grateful that you are serious about the issues that matter to us. You are serious in your research, your analysis and we are looking forward to you assuming the totem of the confederacy that affects our current life. Without further ado, kojo nnamdi and Tanehisi Coates. [applause] thank you and is my understanding, can you hear me . It is my understanding that i will be talking, who cant hear me . I think ill stand at the microphone. Can you hear me now . It is my understanding that i will be talking with for 40 minutes, just the two of us and after that, the floor will be open to questions for people who either raise their hands at that point or find their way to one of the microphones that are on the floor. So that said, first and foremost, the title of this book. For eight years, we were eight years in power. It seems to be after reading the book that the title applies to three different subjects but yet connected phenomena. The construction, the Obama Presidency, your writing career. Can you break that down for us . Sorry, guys. There we go. Okay. Is it working now . Okay. Keep a distance from you so we dont get that feedback that were getting right now. It wouldnt be us if i didnt have to do this. What a way to start the tour. Alright. I actually really appreciate that because it shows that you read the book. I think like the assumption and maybe ill assume some responsibility is people see from when we were eight years in power, its something to keep in mind that i mean lack people as a collective group and thats incorrect. The introduction, i talk about where the title comes from, congressman Thomas Miller of the reconstruction area, a congressman in South Carolina found himself along with several africanamerican folks whod been here before the war, suddenly thrust into a Ruling Coalition in South Carolina as black people were across the south, lack people all across the south and it was a change. This is a statement before the civil war, the majority of people actually were enslaved, they were black. And for the first time, in that state history, you actually have the possibility of a real democracy. In 1895, there was an older man. He attended the South Carolina constitution convention. We are really in our coalition of white supremacist, put the final touches on the disenfranchised black people in the state. Theres a way in which they call redemption happening all through the country. And miller said , he pleaded with his group, assuming in his mind that they had some degree of sensibility. We were eight years in power. From the time we were in power, we turned this state into a state, this wartorn state into a place that had function in public schools, that had a functioning penal system,that could take care of the mentally inappropriate. Built this into a functioningstate. Why would you strip away , why would you disenfranchised half the People Living in the state given our record, coming out of slavery . And the point challenging the story in this great b book about reconstruction, he reached out in his mind that they did not quite apprehend the white supremacist and what he argued is he said that they were arguing for a good negro government. The idea that no matter how degraded by whatever experiences, they were smart enough were capable enough and could stand in a place that put citizens whatever the model was down by america. He points in his line that it just caught me up. While i was working on this book he said if anything, South Carolina feared was a good negro government. They didnt want them to succeed. All the awards and the things that named that they had done actually made the case against blackfolks because it made the case against White Supremacy assuming that White Supremacy and some sort of logical argumentative structure that he could attack. But what peaceful to want to do is they want to degrade you. And all these accomplishments you missed are arguments against what they want to do. And when i look back on the presidency of barack obama. Allow me to interrupt, if i might be allowed to interrupt because your talking about the presidency of barack obama and what you say in relationship to the title of the book is that you need to see obamas collection as part of that a familiar cycle. And a great interruption. Im not sure if i like the interruption or the person you interrupted but you can interrupt me anytime. But thats exactly it. When i look back, i think the Obama Presidency was based on the same set of theories, but your best face forward, work twice as hard. Be scandal free. Dont do any of the things, dont be any of the things that they associate negroes with. Were going to construct ourselves as the opposite, down to the presentation of the obama family. The president at the harvard law review, ivy league educated, beautiful kids, dog named bo. Like, if you would construct a drawing that would be the antiracist, the antisort of stereotype of what folks committed, it was then and they ran the white house and that sort of way and yet they were met with this strange, people just didnt believe them. This argument against this idea of good negro government occurring. It was their accomplishments, the entire presentation of being this sort of antiracist model thats fueled a great deal of, but the antagonism they face. Remember at any point george did, we are so inured to that the people dont realize how this shocking this actually is. At any point you couldve told the Opposition Party that they found at the very least upper locality, almost certainly a majority of people that did not believe barack obama was the legitimate president because they didnt believe he was a citizen of the united states. The Opposition Party, the thought was maybe this could be ended by presenting an actual birth certificate. But youre not in a logical argument. They dont literally believe, you know what i mean . In any factual way, anyway thats opened argument, that hes a citizen, they believe it because they have to believe it. Its not a argument so in that way, i saw that same cry again occur in the Obama Administration and. Thats a familiar cycle, apparently it runs counter to the notion that you see the illusion of a progressive American History that brought obama to power. There was this notion that obamas election was part of a progressive Forward Motion that would probably indicate that america has changed for ever and probably wouldnt be turned back. Americans and thinkers, theyre always thinking of an end of history moment, this is the moment where we conquer all of the problems that have plagued us only to find that history always wins. History doesnt even have an end and the election of barack obama, it was that sort of feeling and i tried to explain in the book easy it was to get caught up and how understandable it was for folks to get caught up. This was a moment that, as i say in the book, some black person on Thomas Jefferson, had a meditation on George Washingtons plantation new in their heart of hearts that they were smarter injured than george washington. They make a better soldier than george washington. And im not like even being rhetorical about this. Youve reading his recent biography, for all, hes the father of this junction of government balancing the budget, being fiscally responsible, he was terribly irresponsible, just a mess. Just an absolute mess. And you have to believe there were black folks in that plantation life come on, man. This is a president . So obama is a realization of again, you have the microphone. I understand a lot of the rapture that went into that moment. But at the same time in history, its a hard taskmaster and is going to reach out and remind us exactly what were doing and where we live. There were many people that felt that president obama should have spoken more directly and specifically about race. Given what happened after his election. But you and i for years, barack obama walked in that space and never fell. What Straight Talk on racism has given him a sure footing . Know you have to, the presidency represents the american people. This is a group and i dont want to be harsh here. But that, this is we build ourselves as this great saying you are what your record says you are. If the record says this is a group of people that would hand the Nuclear Launch codes off to a dude that does diplomacy via twitter, who is caught on tape writing about sexual assault, thats okay. You can be president if you are white and do all that. If anything, im stunned that he was able to do, and i mean that. This dance of having to actually aside back and forth in order to be elected president twice, that doesnt mean everything i thought he did was correct but it was, you have to deal with the difficult problem of the actual people who live in this country. You can take one position and say theres no value in having a black president. That doesnt actually mean anything but if you are like, as most people in this room, and you voted for barack obama, you have to understand that there are going to be limits there. Limits on what this country can do and what it will actually come out with. When people think the presidency is in many ways political, that strong persuasive moral arguments made from that belief of it can produce career results but with people on anywhere out of this earth out of a strong moral feeling of power. I dont have much experience with that. I dont see examples of that is rated across america. People, forget it. You take the example of lincoln. People love citing the gettysburg address and my favorite is the 64 inaugural address, beautiful peace and rhetoric but none of that would have happened if a group of slaveowners in the south went crazy and destroyed to destroy the county and direct their own country. In other words, he was thrust into a position and the motive, at least initially and at the end of the day throughout the war, the paramount motive was the preservation of a union. In other words, there was a motive beyond the moral idea of what the people were going through and that is a recurring theme and whenever you see progress in this country with black people, you necessarily see some alternative motive or the majority in our country which is rarely ever moral. So we talk about reconstruction, talk a little bit about the Obama Presidency. The third reference of the title of this book is in some regards to you. When president obama came to office or thereabouts, you were unemployed. And i remembers eight years later, you are not. Momentarily. And you write essentially that obamas presidency helped to jumpstart your and other black writers careers, what you mean by that . I mean the fact of a black president , they were. Curious about things they were curious about before. When i was writing this book i was just through in my own personal journey, looking back on it, and when im in places like this, and i see so many people who have come out to see and thankfully herewhatever i have to say or read the book , when i receive accolades, awards, whatever, i have to remain very pleasant that could have gone a different way. Is not for a trick of faith. I know that because i was relatively 12 years into my writing career when barack obama became president. And eight years that came after were different than the preceding 12. There is i think a foundation from people putting accolades on you, to take a little too much credit. And to not realize that this is a pillar of faith that you stand on. I know this because i grew up in a community where i didnt feel like i was the smartest one there. I didnt think i would, somehow i was raised to think i was particularly touched that away in other people around me were not. X that things went my way. And in this situation, it was the election. It made things more possible. The whole group crop of black writers let myself who were toiling away. Before the president , our friend Nicole Hannah jones, she said im thinking about going into public relations. Nicole has won several awards now. Several awards. Hailed as a genius and i feel that but people were looking back, they just work checking me like that. So it has to be understood thatsome part of this is faith. It must be said that during those hard times, there are many people in this room who are particularly, one of them, your father. You want to stand up . And mother. And the other, the wonderful can you, your wife. [applause]. What was the particular way in which she was able to encourage you at a time when you were seriously considering that you needed to find another form of occupation. You ended up being a writer because there wasnt much else to do. Im sorry, then you. I just did i swear a brief example, you are who you are. And it is something to be a certain way for 30 years of your life and people dont stand up and crop clap for you. Thats fine, theres no expectation that people will stand up and when they do, its a hard transition. Its a hard transition and people are not always, i probably, we should talk surreptitiously about this but anyway, im sorry. Im sorry. What was the question . Lets get to your writing. On this book you made a deliberate effort, conscious effort after rereading the fire next time for the second time, you made a conscious effort of what its like to write baldwin because you said that what was most important for one of the things that was most important about his writing was the beauty of his writing. How do you accomplish that . You dont. You dont, and i knew that you didnt. I knew that but you have to have like the whole clichc. I, because that story, it isnt entirely of the moment, its about how the world came to be. And the critical event was the murder of my friend. Which i over for 15 years. And just angry, just pissed off and angry. He was killed by a Police Officer anytime before cell phone video and it just felt like nobody cared. And i accepted that community which kept his memory alive and istewed over that. And i have been writing some things about the president at