Joanne Griffith examines the Obama administration and questions whether the president has sufficiently answered many of the issues facing the black community. For the book she edited, Ms. Griffith interviewed a collection of African-American academics, including economist Julianne Malveaux, civil rights lawyer Michelle Alexander, and Van Jones, former adviser to President Obama. Ms. Griffith was joined in discussion by Marc Anthony Neal, a professor of black popular cultural at Duke University, and filmmaker Byron Hurt. The panelists responded to questions from members of the audience at Hue-Man Bookstore in New York City.