By Aqueila M. Lewis

Over 600 people crowded the First Congregational Church of Oakland on Wednesday night to continue the momentum of the inauguration of America’s first black president, engage in a discussion on the field of journalism and hear veteran journalist Gwen Ifill speak about her first book, The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama. The book was released on Inauguration Day and is now #13 on The New York Times Best Seller list.
     In The Breakthrough, Ifill provides an in-depth investigation of black political power in the post-civil rights era, incorporating several prominent black politicians and introducing up-and-coming leaders, including Barack Obama, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, Newark Mayor Cory Booker, San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris, Alabama Congressman Artur Davis, former Secretary of State Colin Powell, Vernon Jordan, Reverend Jesse Jackson, Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr., Harold Ford Jr., Louisiana House Speaker Karen Carter Peterson, Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown and Washington Mayor Adrian Fenty.
    Ifill argues that the black political structure formed during the civil rights movement is giving way to a generation of men and women who are the direct beneficiaries of the struggles of the 1960s.
    The book’s real departure, and its real value, is that it treats Obama not as the breakthrough candidate but as one, fairly typical member of a breakthrough generation of African American politicians.
    “The book was a labor of love for me, in spite of the bumps and bruises along the way. When I started, I did not think Barack Obama was going to be president,” said Ifill.

    Despite her doubt, prior to the 2008 vice presidential debate, Ifill was criticized for the book not being disclosed to the debate commission or the campaigns. “I thought, you have no idea what I’m thinking,” said Ifill.
    The event was hosted and moderated by UC Berkeley professor and dean of the Graduate School of Journalism Neil Henry.
    Ifill read excerpts from her book and discussed topics including the “Saturday Night Live” skit about the vice presidential debate (in which Ifill was played by Queen Latifah), generational differences between those raised in the 1960s versus today, the Reverend Jeremiah Wright controversy, the idea of a post-racial society, Michelle Obama, women voters, Latino voters, women of color as president, the future of journalism and more.
    Ifill is the PBS moderator and managing editor of “Washington Week” and senior correspondent of “The News Hour with Jim Lehrer.” Before coming to PBS, she was chief congressional and political correspondent for NBC News and had been a reporter for The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Baltimore Sun and Boston Herald.