great white hope

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

Coined in the early 20th century, first appearing in 1911; during a period when African-American heavyweight champion boxer Jack Johnson seemed unbeatable by a Caucasian boxer. When a promising Caucasian hopeful arrived as a challenger in a championship match, the white race's hopes were attached to said boxer, and they were labelled the "Great White Hope". The term was repopularized in the late-mid 1900s with the appearance of the play and film "The Great White Hope"; and its definition extended beyond boxing and Caucasians.

Noun

great white hope (plural great white hopes)

  1. A highly skilled white/Caucasian challenger for leadership in a field whose top ranks are dominated by non-Caucasians; especially a field which was once dominated by white Caucasians, and is now dominated by those of black-African descent.
  2. A person expected to succeed and bring prestige to their native group.
    • 1977 August 20, “7 Arrested in Undercover Raid on P'town Bar”, in Gay Community News, volume 5, number 7, page 1:
      The arrest of Christo — who three times has run unsuccessfully for selectperson in Provincetown and who has been a leading proponent of the proposal to establish a [gay] community radio station here — caused the biggest stir. Considered once by many to be Provincetown's "liberal great white hope," his political career is now in doubt.

See also
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