Black Liberation and the American Dream

This interesting collection of essays and readings concentrates on the connections between racial justice and economic justice, but also explores the dynamic intersections of race, class, and gender. The underlying theme is that comprehending and acting upon such connections and intersections provide the key to overcoming racism.

The volume begins with a lengthy introductory essay by editor Paul Le Blanc, which presents a coherent summary of African American history, with special focus on the civil rights movements of the 1950s and 1960s. Le Blanc argues that effective action must be grounded in an understanding of the past, and he provides practical guidelines for activism.

This is followed by readings from some of the most prominent personalities in the history of the African American liberation struggle: Frederick Douglass, Martin Delany, Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, Ida B. Wells, Booker T. Washington, Marcus Garvey, W. E. B. Du Bois, Paul Robeson, C. L. R. James, A. Philip Randolph, Martin Luther King Jr., Bayard Rustin, Malcolm X, Ella Baker, and others.

This very informative work will be useful for a wide range of college courses and sensitivity-training workshops, as well as for unionists and activist groups.