Podcast Summary: Reveal – America Had a Black President. Then Came the Whitelash

Host: Al Letson
Guest: Jelani Cobb (Staff Writer, The New Yorker; Dean, Columbia Journalism School)
Date: October 29, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode of Reveal explores America’s recent political and racial history through a candid conversation with renowned journalist and author Jelani Cobb. The discussion centers on the oscillations between hope and backlash in America, from the election of Barack Obama, through the rise of Black Lives Matter, to the surge in white nationalism and attacks on historical truth. Cobb provides insight into how these moments intertwine, the challenges of progress, and the vital, embattled role of journalism and historical scholarship today.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Pendulum of American Politics and Race

• Jelani Cobb as “Watcher”: Al Letson describes Cobb as “the watcher” (02:18), observing major American events from a broad, insightful lens.
• Trayvon Martin as a Turning Point:
  • Cobb explains how Trayvon Martin’s death became "a particularly resonant metaphor" (03:39) for the contradictions of having a Black president while facing enduring racial injustice.
  • Trayvon Martin’s case catalyzed both the Black Lives Matter movement and inadvertently inspired radical white nationalist violence.

    “Black Lives Matter is an outgrowth... The phrase, the framing, that language, Black Lives Matter, came out of the aftermath of the verdict...” — Jelani Cobb (04:45)

  • Dylann Roof, who committed a racist mass murder, cited Martin’s killing as his inspiration — showing "both of those dynamics, those twin dynamics of this resurgence of white nationalism... and this very dynamic, resonant movement for black equality... almost the kind of crash, you know, the path that those two were put on in that moment" (05:33).

2. Reflections on Writing and History

• Autobiographical Nature of Journalism:
  • Cobb reflects on how revisiting his essays revealed his own evolution as a writer and as a person. The essays track the arc from Obama’s presidency through the rise of “Trumpism,” mass shootings, and backlashes, culminating in a “national political mood” (07:49).
  • Notably, his longtime New Yorker editor pushed him to “stick with this story and see where it goes,” shaping the long-term perspective in his writing.

3. The Obama Years: Hope, Constraints, and Backlash

• Hope and Disillusionment:

  • Letson shares a personal memory, feeling relief at Obama’s election because it validated his advice to young Black men that they could achieve anything (08:41), but realizes little changed in their lived reality.
  • Cobb notes that to fairly judge Obama’s presidency, it will likely require a generation’s hindsight:

    "It takes 25 years after he's left office to have a fair vantage point on what he reasonably could have done versus what he actually did." — Jelani Cobb (11:56)

  • Obama’s tenure was marked by unprecedented hostility — from being called a liar in Congress to the birther movement questioning his citizenship:

    "...the entrenched opposition that had determined that their number one objective… was for him to be a one-term president. That’s what Mitch McConnell said..." (12:48)

• Backlash and “Whitelash”:

  • Letson describes being unsurprised by backlash post-Obama and ties it historically to Reconstruction. Cobb unpacks Obama's focus on “cynicism” as code for not being able to openly discuss racism as a Black president (14:25).
  • Cobb recounts a lesson from his father about never being surprised by efforts to hold Black people back, especially when they make others feel insecure (15:07).
  • The Obama presidency is framed as both a singular achievement and a catalyst for a familiar cycle of backlash and retrenchment.

4. The Myth of a Post-Racial America

• Asymmetry in Racial Voting and Recognition:
  • Cobb critiques the narrative that Obama’s election marked a “post-racial” nation; only a minority of white voters supported Obama, doing what Black voters had always done — supporting candidates outside their own group (17:49).
  • The supposed post-racialism was an illusion; rather, it triggered a backlash, evidenced by subsequent political shifts.

5. Black Lives Matter and the Battle over History

• Current State of the Movement:
  • Letson notes the contemporary assault on Black history and the physical removal of BLM signs (21:33).
  • Cobb contextualizes Black history as a field born out of political necessity, weaponized as a battleground to contest narratives justifying oppression:

    “History was a battleground and... people were writing a history that would justify the politics of the present.” — Jelani Cobb (22:14)

  • Despite the attacks, Cobb sees resilience in the field due to the work of generations of scholars and a persistent commitment to truth.

6. Journalism under Attack

• Teaching Future Journalists and Navigating Crisis:
  • Cobb says journalism’s current embattled state is evidence of its importance:

    “Powerful people don't waste their time attacking things that are not important.” — Jelani Cobb (19:49; repeated at 28:01)

  • At Columbia, he advises students to lean on journalistic protocols, rigorously question themselves, and “show their work” to earn public trust (27:45–28:54).
  • He notes the erosion of institutional trust extends beyond journalism, and that rebuilding faith requires transparency, not expectation of deference.

7. Personal Changes and Lasting Hope

• Self-Reflection:
  • Cobb, looking back over the last decade, says he’s more restrained and patient as a writer, but also more skeptical:

    “I haven’t given up on the idea of there being victory, of it being a better tomorrow. But I also think that it will exact a hell of a cost for us to get to that place.” — Jelani Cobb (30:37 and repeated at 00:02)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the dual legacy of Trayvon Martin’s death:

  “Trayvon Martin’s death was also cited as the impetus for Dylann Roof... And it went from there, really, both of those dynamics, those twin dynamics of this resurgence of white nationalism and this... movement for black equality, and almost... the path that those two were put on in that moment.”
  – Jelani Cobb (05:10–05:40)

• On Obama’s political constraints:

  “I think, like, it takes 25 years after he's left office to have a fair vantage point on what he reasonably could have done versus what he actually did.”
  – Jelani Cobb (11:56)

• On history as political battleground:

  “They understood that history was a battleground and that people were writing a history that would justify the politics of the present.”
  – Jelani Cobb (22:45)

• On journalism and power:

  “Powerful people don't waste their time attacking things that are not important.”
  – Jelani Cobb (19:49, 28:01)

• On enduring hope and reality:

  “I haven’t given up on the idea of there being victory, of it being a better tomorrow. But I also think that it will exact a hell of a cost for us to get to that place.”
  – Jelani Cobb (00:02, 30:37)

Timestamps for Major Segments

• Opening Reflection (“Victory... a hell of a cost”) – 00:02
• Trayvon Martin, Obama, and the Roots of the Whitelash – 02:39 to 06:54
• Construction of History and Role of Black Scholarship – 22:14 to 25:13
• Columbia Protests, Free Speech, and Navigating Crisis in Higher Ed – 25:13 to 28:01
• State of Journalism, Teaching Ethics and Trust – 28:01 to 30:31
• Personal Reflection and Closing – 30:31 to 31:35

Tone and Style

The conversation marries clear-eyed skepticism with deep historical awareness and cautious optimism. Cobb’s thoughtful delivery and Letson’s grounded, personal approach create a discussion that is reflective, intellectually sharp, and accessible.

Summary Takeaways

• America's “pendulum” of racial progress and backlash is a recurring, deeply embedded pattern.
• Symbolic milestones (like Obama’s presidency) don’t erase systemic issues or preclude new waves of hostility.
• Black history and journalism are contested battlegrounds, under attack precisely because they are essential to truth and democracy.
• Progress is possible, but requires vigilance, resilience, and recognition that the struggle itself is costly and necessary.