"It's a way to acknowledge our relationship when she's getting out of the minivan," he says. "It's a way to express a certain kind of unique intimacy. It's a way to maintain your personality in a public form, something that speaks to who we are."
When Barack and Michelle Obama did it, Neal considered it a revealing personal moment in the black vernacular, as if they were saying to each other, "Let's give each other a little dap to acknowledge the success of the journey."
Writer Ta-Nehisi Coates tagged an item on his blog about Obama's gesture with the line: "The sacred art of giving dap."
"I think it says so much," says Coates, who's originally from Baltimore. "I really wonder how many white viewers caught that."
Neal thinks Obama's candidacy, from the beginning, has brought aspects of black culture to parts of society that, until now, have been largely, so to speak, dap-free.
Obama shoots hoops to relax, he doesn't embarrass himself when dancing on Ellen DeGeneres' show, he references iconic rap stars.
Ethelbert Miller absolutely loved it when Obama, in an April debate, borrowed a move from Jay-Z's "Dirt Off Your Shoulder?" video, brushing away imaginary shoulder dust to show how he's handling attacks on his campaign.
"I liked that better than the bump," Miller says. "There's a real coolness that I feel that he exhibits."
Marc Lamont Hill, a Temple University professor who writes about hip-hop culture and considers himself a "hard-core critic" of Obama, found the politician's gesture surprisingly genuine and "an unequivocal display of black cultural literacy."
"This seemed like a genuine act," Hill says. "Furthermore, the move showed a level of love, partnership and commitment that is rarely shown in public space, particularly among African-American couples.
"Given Barack's star power, and the historical role that black culture has played in broader American culture, expect many people to mimic their dap."
jill.rosen@baltsun.com
