
We Will Win the Day
The Civil Rights Movement, the Black Athlete, and the Quest for Equality
Louis Moore(Author)
Praeger Publishers Inc
Published on 21. September 2017
Book
Hardback
256 pages
978-1-4408-3952-8 (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.
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.
Reviews / Votes
[T]he author makes an especially vital contribution to understanding the ways race, sport, and politics intersected and are certain to continue to do so. This fine work of scholarship will work well in a wide range of college and graduate courses on sports, civil rights, and 20th-century U.S. history more broadly. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All public and academic levels/libraries. * Choice *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Target group
College/higher education
Illustrations
8 bw illus
Dimensions
Height: 240 mm
Width: 161 mm
Thickness: 18 mm
Weight
552 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4408-3952-8 (9781440839528)
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
Other editions
Additional editions

Louis Moore
We Will Win the Day
The Civil Rights Movement, the Black Athlete, and the Quest for Equality
E-Book
09/2017
1st Edition
Praeger Publishers Inc
€56.49
Available for download

Louis Moore
We Will Win the Day
The Civil Rights Movement, the Black Athlete, and the Quest for Equality
E-Book
09/2017
1st Edition
Praeger Publishers Inc
€56.49
Available for download
Person
Louis Moore is associate professor of history at Grand Valley State University, where he teaches African American history, civil rights, sports, and U.S. history.
Content
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Chapter 1 Democracy in Action: Sports and the American Dream
Chapter 2 White Allies
Chapter 3 The Press and the People: The Final Fight for Fairness
Chapter 4 Deep Down in Dixie: Segregated Sports in a Post-Brown Era
Chapter 5 The Ban and the Banner: Black Olympians in a Jim Crow Society
Chapter 6 African American Athletes and Activism: Everybody Has a Part to Play
Chapter 7 The Revolt of the Black Athlete
Epilogue
Notes
Bibliography
Index
About the Author
Introduction
Chapter 1 Democracy in Action: Sports and the American Dream
Chapter 2 White Allies
Chapter 3 The Press and the People: The Final Fight for Fairness
Chapter 4 Deep Down in Dixie: Segregated Sports in a Post-Brown Era
Chapter 5 The Ban and the Banner: Black Olympians in a Jim Crow Society
Chapter 6 African American Athletes and Activism: Everybody Has a Part to Play
Chapter 7 The Revolt of the Black Athlete
Epilogue
Notes
Bibliography
Index
About the Author