Nation of Cowards: Black Activism in Barack Obama's Post-Racial AmericaIn a speech from which Nation of Cowards derives its title, Attorney General Eric Holder argued forcefully that Americans today need to talk more not less about racism. This appeal for candid talk about race exposes the paradox of Barack Obama's historic rise to the US presidency and the ever increasing social and economic instability of African American communities. David H. Ikard and Martell Lee Teasley maintain that such a conversation can take