The First Black President: Has Martin Luther King’s Dream Come True?

With the nation’s first black president in the White House, some commentators have started employing the narrative of a “post-racial” America. In this view, Barack Obama’s election has leveled the playing field and obviated the struggle for racial equality. With the notable exception of his celebrated speech on race in March 2008, Obama has often played along by scrupulously avoiding comment on racial matters since he began his presidential campaign. But what is the daily reality of many African Americans today, especially those living in underserved urban communities?

“America Reloaded” is proud to present Johnnie Owens, a community organizer from Chicago, who will share his first-hand insights of what continues to trouble and empower the black community and to what extent racism and discrimination still stand in the way of social justice und equal opportunity.

The conversation will be enriched by tuba virtuoso Jon Sass and poet, playwright, screenwriter, and improvisational musician Cheo Jeffery Allen Solder, who have joined forces to offer an artistic experience deep within the heart of the African American experience. These two artists, who both hail from urban communities that bear witness both of the struggles and the unparalleled achievements of Black America, will present a program featuring texts and poetry dealing with issues of race for today’s African American. Combining their respective genres, telling stories and improvising on flutes, other woodwinds, and of course the tuba, Sass and Solder create a new organic sound that takes the poetry jam to an entirely new level.