Synopses & Reviews
This book examines the evolution of Black Power activism at the local level. Comprised of essays that examine Black Powers impact at the grassroots level in cities in the North, South, Mid-West and West, this anthology expands on the profusion of new scholarship that is taking a second look at Black Power, connecting grassroots activism to national struggles for black self-determination and international African independence movements, and actively rewriting postwar African American history.
Review
“Ten high-quality essays describe the varying ways in which black power as an ideology and a political program shaped post-WWII urban politics. The books excels in explaining how black power activists in Harlem, Milwaukee, Louisville, St. Louis, Baltimore, and Atlanta fought for community-based issues ranging from prison and welfare reform to school desegregation. Highly recommended.”—CHOICE
“This book is definitely up-to-date, accurate, and in tune with the most cutting-edge scholarship and trends in the history of Black Power, which Joseph has played a key role in invigorating. Indeed, he is ahead of the curve in pushing the study of Black Power to new heights.”—Matthew C. Whitaker, Associate Professor of History and Affiliate Faculty in African and African American Studies and the School of Justice and Social Inquiry, Arizona State University
“There is much to be excited about in this volume. It is an important work that not only offers fresh perspectives on the Black Power Movement, but a research template for undergraduate and graduate students interested in exploring the deeper dimensions of Black Power at the local level. Editor Peniel Joseph clearly understands this process and as a result has produced what I anticipate will widely be regarded as must read not only in the immediate future but for years to come.”—Yohuru Williams, Vice President for History Education, American Institute for History Education
About the Author
Peniel Joseph is Professor of History at Tufts University.
Table of Contents
Introduction--Peniel E. Joseph * The Mecca: Harlem as Black Powers Headquarters--Peniel E. Joseph * “Get Up Off of Your Knees!” Competing Visions of Black Empowerment in Milwaukee During the Early Civil Rights Era--Patrick Jones * The Gateway City: Black Power in St. Louis--Clarence Lang * "A Campus Where Black Power Won: Merritt College and the Hidden History of Oakland's Black Panther Party”--Donna Murch * ‘We were coming with action: High School Students and the Development of Black Power in L.A.”--Jeanne Theoharis * “‘We Were Going to Fight Fire With Fire: Black Power in the South”--Simon Wendt * Black Power in Louiville--Tracy KMeyer * The Black Arts Movement in Atlanta--James Smethurst * Militant Organizing Across Time: Black Power in New Orleans Looking Back From Hurricane Katrina--Kent B. Germany * “The Pursuit of Audacious Power: Rebel Reformers & Neighborhood Politics in Baltimore, 1966-1968”--Rhonda Williams