Black Skinhead: Reflections on Blackness and Our Political Future

Political activist Collins-Dexter debuts with an immersive and insightful look at the Black community’s fraying relationship with the Democratic Party. Focusing on Black Americans who “live outside of the bounds of fetishized Black political identity,” Collins-Dexter describes rapper Kanye West, whose song gives the book its title, as a “canary in the coal mine” warning that Democrats are taking Black votes for granted. She admits that her 2020 presidential vote was more “anti-Trump” than “pro-Biden” and critiques the “symbolic gestures” of Democrats including Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer, who wore kente cloth in solidarity with the Black community, but resisted calls to reroute funding from police departments to social welfare programs. Throughout, Collins-Dexter spotlights a diverse range of Black political thinkers, including Marxists, conservatives, and disillusioned liberals who voice their grievances with the current political landscape, and interweaves cogent analyses of popular culture, including the movie Black Panther and the rise of streetwear fashion. Seamlessly balancing the personal, political, and cultural, and enlivened with a sharp sense of wit, these standout pieces strike an essential note of warning for Democrats. (Sept.)