Black Skinhead

Reflections on Blackness and Our Political Future

By: Brandi Collins-Dexter

Narrated by: Brandi Collins-Dexter

This program is read by the author.

For fans of Bad Feminist and The Sum of Us, Black Skinhead sparks a radical conversation about Black America and political identity.

In Black Skinhead, Brandi Collins-Dexter, former Senior Campaign Director for Color Of Change, explores the fragile alliance between Black voters and the Democratic party. Through sharp, timely essays that span the political, cultural, and personal, Collins-Dexter reveals decades of simmering disaffection in Black America, told as much through voter statistics as it is through music, film, sports, and the baffling mind of Kanye West.

While Black Skinhead is an outward look at Black votership and electoral politics, it is also a funny, deeply personal, and introspective look at Black culture and identity, ultimately revealing a Black America that has become deeply disillusioned with the failed promises of its country.

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We had been told that everything was fine, that America was working for everyone and that the American Dream was attainable for all. But for those who had been paying attention, there had been warning signs that the Obamas’ version of the American Dream wasn’t working for everyone. That it hadn’t been working for many white Americans was immediately and loudly discussed, but the truth—and what I set out to write this book about—was that it hadn’t been working for many Black Americans either. For many, Obama’s vision had been more illusion than reality all along.

When someone tells you everything is fine, but around you, you see evidence that it’s not, where will the quest to find answers lead you? As I went on the journey of writing this book, I found a very different tale about Black politics and Black America, one that countered white America’s long-held assumption that Black voters will always vote Democrat—and even that the Democratic party is the best bet for Black Americans.

My ultimate question was this: how are Black people being led away—not towards—each other, and what do we lose when we lose each other? What do we lose when, to quote Kanye West, we feel lost in the world.

A Macmillan Audio production from Celadon Books.

©2022 Brandi Collins-Dexter (P)2022 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

2022, Kirkus Reviews Best Books of the Year, Long-listed

*A New York Times Editors' Choice*

*Named a Best Book of September 2022 by The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Kirkus, and Ms. Magazine, and Recommended by USA Today, POLITICO, and Oprah Daily*

"Political activist Collins-Dexter’s essay collection is timely as well as pointed. In it, she argues that Democrats have taken Black voters for granted, and that the consequences of this mistake have already begun—and will accelerate." —The New York Times,"15 Works of Nonfiction to Read This Fall"

"Brandi Collins-Dexter—a scholar, activist and overall poignant voice on race and accountability (as well as South Sider)—writes in Black Skinhead that she found in Kanye West a vessel for thinking about Black voters and rising disillusionment with Democrat politics. From there she spins a vibrant history of Black voters and assumptions." —The Chicago Tribune

"Tracing potentially tectonic shifts in American political behavior, Dexter-Collins here demonstrates impressive range and insight. The title she chose for her debut book references Black people who strongly reject a status quo that doesn’t serve them, including the taken-for-granted alignment with Democratic Party politics. To illuminate the underlying roots of this alienation, Collins-Dexter blends ideological and cultural analysis with intimate personal narrative." —Oprah Daily

A new voice in the Black political fight for the souls of Black Folks

In a series of essays the author researches and interviews Black Americans with varying political views. She goes back and forth analyzing the way in which each side validates their support of their chosen party. But have no doubt this book is a must read for all democratic leaders who seem to be loosing their grip on the Black vote, Clearly their is a feeling of betrayal and false promises leading some Black voters to rethink their party allegiance. This is especially true amongst the new young Black voters. The authors reviews are thought provoking. A good read and easy to listen to.

This was a great read.

Each essay was well written, thoughtful and thought provoking. I'm ready for the next one.