Alamy “Plague on you,” cries Brother Jonathan in an 1813 ... he was slowly edged out by the figure we now know as Uncle Sam, originally named after a meat magnate from New York State.

While Uncle Sam is perhaps most well-known for the historic “I want you” posters from World War I, the character has a specific meaning to the Black community that Lamar so often focuses on.

Uncle Sam is one tough old avatar. Cartoonists and designers of all stripes have relied on him as a handy symbol of the U.S. government for ages. He’s evolved in small ways—his costume has ...