"no more excuses": Problematic responses to Barack Obama's election

The election of Barack Obama to the presidency of the United States brought forth torrents of emotions and expressions from across the racial spectrum, but especially so among African Americans. However, amidst the euphoria of this historic event is a disturbing reaction circulating among African Americans which has implications for the struggle against racism in America. Since Barack Obama's election, many African Americans across the nation are saying "now blacks have no more excuses," in effect evoking old discredited theories that eschewed racism as a factor in African American life and blamed victims of this racism for their resulting situations. We assess this development.