Whitfield was among the Hollywood personalities selected as surrogates by Barack Obama’s presidential campaign. She crisscrossed the country to get out the African-American vote, and on Nov. 4, 2008, she and other surrogates gathered and held their breath. The Baton Rouge native, who describes herself as a “political being,” believes Trump’s presidency feeds racial strife, with the country facing a “resurgence of racism and white supremacy and tribalism.” “The election of Obama undermined so deeply the white power structure of our country that was so terrified of losing power that any alternative was better than women gaining ground, than black...