Before Mr. Obama, it was common for black activists and civil rights organizations to appeal to presidents when they were trying to win concessions from the federal government. But this strategy didn’t work with a black president. African-Americans had more access to the White House than ever before, yet they couldn’t use that access to wrangle specific policy reforms from the first black president without tarnishing the historical achievement of his election.

Remember when Representative Maxine Waters of California critiqued Mr. Obama’s remarks to the Congressional Black Caucus in 2011 because he told the audience to “stop complaining” about their problems? That was not as welcome as when she told Trump officials this summer she was “reclaiming her time.”

During the Obama presidency, traditional civil rights organizations like the N.A.A.C.P. and the National Urban League worked closely with the administration. This created a power vacuum in the black left. Which activists would drive black politics outside of the national spotlight? Young black activists filled the void, many of whom were already trained as local organizers.

At the end of Mr. Obama’s second term, black youth had become a significant and unified political voice. Since then, their power has only grown. The constellation of Black Lives Matter groups initially focused on police and vigilante violence but expanded its platform to address political and economic challenges facing the black community. From the outset, these groups have made clear that all black lives matter — women, queer and transgender people were always at the center of their political agenda.

The political focus of the Black Lives Matter movement is much farther to the left than traditional black civil rights organizations. The movement supports reparations in the form of fully funded education, an end to money bail and the demilitarization of the police. Since turning to electoral politics, its constituent groups have said that the candidates they endorse must also represent similar progressive views.

To be sure, there has always been a black progressive community whose politics skewed farther left than the Democratic Party’s or civil rights organizations’. Black progressives have long critiqued problematic policies of black elected officials and any solutions that left vulnerable members of the black community further marginalized.

In the places where this movement has been most effective, young leaders are crucial. But there is an intergenerational nature to the work and the composition of activists. These young people have allowed for a more inclusive black politics.