From the New York Times:
A new black consciousness is emerging in France, lately hastened by, of all things, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president of the United States. An article in Le Monde a few days ago described how Mr. Obama is ???stirring up high hopes??? among blacks here. Even seeing the word ???noir??? (???black???) in a French newspaper was an occasion for surprise until recently.
This black consciousness is reflected not just in daily conversation, but also in a dawning culture of books and music by young French blacks like Youssoupha, a cheerful, toothy 28-year-old, who was sent here from Congo by his parents to get an education at 10, raised by an aunt who worked in a school cafeteria in a poor suburb, and told by guidance counselors that he shouldn???t be too ambitious. Instead, he earned a master???s degree from the Sorbonne.
Then, like many well-educated blacks in this country, he hit a brick wall. ???I found myself working in fast-food places with people who had the equivalent of a 15-year-old???s level of education,??? he recalled.
Read the complete NY Times article.