
We Will Win The Day
The Civil Rights Movement, the Black Athlete, and the Quest for Equality
Louis Moore(Author)
The University Press of Kentucky
Published on 16. November 2021
Book
Paperback/Softback
260 pages
978-0-8131-5380-3 (ISBN)
Description
This exceedingly timely book looks at the history of black activist athletes and the important role of the black community in making sure fair play existed, not only in sports, but across U.S. society.
Most books that focus on ties between sports, black athletes, and the Civil Rights Movement focus on specific issues or people. They discuss, for example, how baseball was integrated or tell the stories of individuals like Jackie Robinson or Muhammad Ali. This book approaches the topic differently. By examining the connection between sports, black athletes and the Civil Rights Movement overall, it puts the athletes and their stories into the proper context. Rather than romanticizing the stories and the men and women who lived them, it uses the roles these individuals played - or chose not to play - to illuminate the complexities and nuances in the relationship between black athletes and the fight for racial equality.
Arranged thematically, the book starts with Jackie Robinson's entry into baseball when he signed with the Dodgers in 1945 and ends with the revolt of black athletes in the late 1960s, symbolized by Tommie Smith and John Carlos famously raising their clenched fists during a medal ceremony at the 1968 Olympics. Accounts from the black press and the athletes themselves help illustrate the role black athletes played in the Civil Rights Movement. At the same time, the book also examines how the black public viewed sports and the contributions of black athletes during these tumultuous decades, showing how the black communities' belief in merit and democracy - combined with black athletic success - influenced the push for civil rights.
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Most books that focus on ties between sports, black athletes, and the Civil Rights Movement focus on specific issues or people. They discuss, for example, how baseball was integrated or tell the stories of individuals like Jackie Robinson or Muhammad Ali. This book approaches the topic differently. By examining the connection between sports, black athletes and the Civil Rights Movement overall, it puts the athletes and their stories into the proper context. Rather than romanticizing the stories and the men and women who lived them, it uses the roles these individuals played - or chose not to play - to illuminate the complexities and nuances in the relationship between black athletes and the fight for racial equality.
Arranged thematically, the book starts with Jackie Robinson's entry into baseball when he signed with the Dodgers in 1945 and ends with the revolt of black athletes in the late 1960s, symbolized by Tommie Smith and John Carlos famously raising their clenched fists during a medal ceremony at the 1968 Olympics. Accounts from the black press and the athletes themselves help illustrate the role black athletes played in the Civil Rights Movement. At the same time, the book also examines how the black public viewed sports and the contributions of black athletes during these tumultuous decades, showing how the black communities' belief in merit and democracy - combined with black athletic success - influenced the push for civil rights.
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More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Lexington
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Dimensions
Height: 232 mm
Width: 154 mm
Thickness: 21 mm
Weight
382 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-8131-5380-3 (9780813153803)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Louis Moore is associate professor of history at Grand Valley State University, where he teaches African American history, civil rights, sports, and US history. His research and writing examine the interconnection of race, gender, and sports. Moore's other works include I Fight for a Living, a book about boxing, black manhood, and race in America from 1880 to 1915.
Content
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Democracy in Action
White Allies
The Press and the People
Deep Down in Dixie
The Ban and the Banner
African American Athletes and Activism
The Revolt of the Black Athlete
Epilogue
Notes
Bibliography
Index
About the Author
Introduction
Democracy in Action
White Allies
The Press and the People
Deep Down in Dixie
The Ban and the Banner
African American Athletes and Activism
The Revolt of the Black Athlete
Epilogue
Notes
Bibliography
Index
About the Author