"My dear brother Barack Obama has a certain fear of free black men. As a young brother who grows up in a white context, brilliant African father, he's always had to fear being a white man with black skin. All he has known culturally is white. He has a certain rootlessness, a deracination"

This quote by Cornel West speaks with the unique experience of former President Barack Obama, who was raised by a white mom and an African dad. West recommends that Obama has a fear of complimentary black guys due to his childhood in a white context. He has actually been exposed to white culture his entire life, and this has caused him to feel a sense of rootlessness and deracination. West implies that Obama's identity is complex, as he is a black guy with white skin, and this has actually triggered him to feel disconnected from his African heritage. Obama's experience is special, and West's quote speaks to the complexity of his identity and the challenges he has actually faced in reconciling his 2 cultures.