When a person becomes the first member of their minority group to do something, they carry an extra burden. They don’t just have to do the job – say, lead a nation – they have to do that job knowing that their performance will be considered representative of how every member of that group would fare in that position.
Obviously, the example that comes to mind most quickly is President Obama; he’s not just the President, he’s a Black President. Or, if you’re Australian, Julia Gillard, who carries the extra weight of representing “how women govern.” President Obama’s additional burden was something that Keith Boykin discussed on “Melissa Harris-Perry” last weekend when we were talking about white voters ...