Whether abolitionists or slave revolt leaders

Praise for the previous edition: ..".balanced...useful and informative."--American Reference Books Annual

This book profiles American men and women who have exerted significant influence on social movements.

Profiles more than 285 men and women who fought for social reform and influenced American history.

In recent years, America’s criminal justice system has become the subject of an increasingly urgent debate. Critics have assailed the rise of mass incarceration, emphasizing its disproportionate impact on people of color. As James Forman, Jr., points out, however, the war on crime that began in the 1970s was supported by many African American leaders in the nation’s urban centers. In Locking Up Our Own, he seeks to understand why. Forman shows us that the first substantial cohort of black mayors, judges, and police chiefs took office amid a surge in crime and drug addiction. Many prominent black officials, including Washington, D.C. mayor Marion Barry and federal prosecutor Eric Holder, feared that the gains of the civil rights movement were being undermined by lawlessness—and thus embraced tough-on-crime measures, including longer sentences and aggressive police tactics. In the face of skyrocketing murder rates and the proliferation of open-air drug markets, they believed they had no choice. But the policies they adopted would have devastating consequences for residents of poor black neighborhoods. A former D.C. public defender, Forman tells riveting stories of politicians, community activists, police officers, defendants, and crime victims. He writes with compassion about individuals trapped in terrible dilemmas—from the men and women he represented in court to officials struggling to respond to a public safety emergency. Locking Up Our Own enriches our understanding of why our society became so punitive and offers important lessons to anyone concerned about the future of race and the criminal justice system in this country.

The story of black emancipation is one of the most dramatic themes of American history, covering racism, murder, poverty and extreme heroism. Figures such as Malcolm X and Martin Luther King are the demigods of the freedom movements, both film and household figures. This major text explores the African-American experience of the twentieth century with particular reference to six outstanding race leaders. Their philosophies and strategies for racial advancement are compared and set against the historical framework and constraints within which they functioned. The book also examines the 'grass roots' of black protest movements in America, paying particular attention to the major civil rights organizations as well as black separatist groups such as the Nation of Islam.

Through centuries of suffering, slavery, inequality, discrimination, segregation, and racist violence, African Americans have endured, resisted, fought, and, increasingly over time, won many battles. These victories were propelled by a groundswell of grassroots action, but they were also motivated and organized by courageous and inspirational leadership. Journalists, abolitionists, educators, religious leaders, politicians, judges, and even schoolchildren showed the world a better way forward and led the way down the very difficult road to greater equality, freedom, and civil rights. This collection profiles the leading lights in the struggle for freedom and equality, including MLK, Coretta Scott King, Malcolm X, Marcus Garvey, W.E.B. DuBois, Harriet Tubman, Ida B. Wells, and Ruby Bridges, among many others.