Publisher Description

WHY A 56--MILE WALK FOR FREEDOM IN 1965 STILL CHALLENGES AMERICA TODAY THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT OF 1965 WAS THE CROWNING ACHIEVEMENT OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT, FOREVER CHANGING POLITICS IN AMERICA. NOW, FOR THE FIRST TIME, VOICES OF THE ERA, ALONG WITH SOME OF TODAYa S MOST INFLUENTIAL WRITERS, SCHOLARS, AND SOCIAL ACTIVISTS, COMMEMORATE THE STRUGGLE AND EXAMINE WHY THE BATTLE MUST STILL BE WON. "One of the difficult lessons we have learned is that you cannot depend on American institutions to function without pressure. Any real change in the status quo depends on continued creative action to sharpen the conscience of the nation."----MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. "As long as half our eligible voters exercise the right that so many in Selma marched and died for, wea ve got a very long bridge to cross."----BILL CLINTON "I would hope that students today can learn from Selma to acquire a better understanding of how oppressed people with limited resources can free themselves and make the world better."----CLAYBORNE CARSON, STANFORD UNIVERSITY

Back Cover

WHY A 56-MILE WALK FOR FREEDOM IN 1965 STILL CHALLENGES AMERICA TODAY THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT OF 1965 WAS THE CROWNING ACHIEVEMENT OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT, FOREVER CHANGING POLITICS IN AMERICA. NOW, FOR THE FIRST TIME, VOICES OF THE ERA, ALONG WITH SOME OF TODAY'S MOST INFLUENTIAL WRITERS, SCHOLARS, AND SOCIAL ACTIVISTS, COMMEMORATE THE STRUGGLE AND EXAMINE WHY THE BATTLE MUST STILL BE WON. "One of the difficult lessons we have learned is that you cannot depend on American institutions to function without pressure. Any real change in the status quo depends on continued creative action to sharpen the conscience of the nation."-MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. "As long as half our eligible voters exercise the right that so many in Selma marched and died for, we've got a very long bridge to cross."-BILL CLINTON "I would hope that students today can learn from Selma to acquire a better understanding of how oppressed people with limited resources can free themselves and make the world better."-CLAYBORNE CARSON, STANFORD UNIVERSITY

Flap

In the turbulent years of the Civil Rights Movement, no single event had greater impact than the 1965 march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. Earlier that year, Dr. Martin Luther King had launched a major campaign to register black voters in Alabama. What began as a grassroots protest against discrimination, delay, and intimidation at the polls unleashed a shock wave of violent backlash and bloodshed. In the face of armed opposition, thousands more joined the Selma protesters. By the time they reached the state capital on March 25, more that 25,000 marchers—both black and white—had peacefully made their voices heard in Congress. Out of this unprecedented show of unity and determination emerged the most significant civil rights landmark of out time: the Voting Rights Act of 1965. As the fortieth anniversary of the extraordinary achievement draws near, it is clear that the voting rights struggle continues for many Americans—particularly people of color. Despite the sacrifices made by so many men, women, and children in Selma, this generation questions whether its votes matter. Do dramatic gains in numbers of women and blacks among elected officials masks growing underrepresentation? What electoral strategies are necessary now to reduce the inequality of millions? The editors of Black Issues in Higher Education asked leading African American scholars and commentators to search for answers. The Unfinished Agenda of the Selma-Montgomery Voting Rights March is a thought-provoking collection of essays that takes an incisive look at the events of 1965, the milestones reached, and the unresolved issues and challenges that remain today. Featured here are the views of heroes such as Congressman John Lewis, who participated in the march and was brutally injured in the infamous Bloody Sunday attack on the marchers. Renowned activists such as Harvard law professor Lani Guinier and Columbia historian Manning Marable argue for further reform. Prominent Latino, Asian, and Native American scholars share crucial findings on parallel trends and make suggestions for the future. Enlightening and inspiring, The Unfinished Agenda of the Selma-Montgomery Voting Rights March is a powerful testament to those who risked their lives for fundamental freedoms—and a much-needed, thorough examination of what must yet be done to protect them.

Author Biography

Black Issues in Higher Education is an award--winning, national news magazine and the foremost publication on black education serving higher education and the public since 1984. The magazine is the sister publication to Black Issues Book Review, has produced an award--winning Black Issues Videoconference Series, including the annual "Beyond the Dream: A Celebration of Black History" program, and has a strong tie--in program with Borders. Tavis Smiley, host of "The Tavis Smiley Show from NPR," provides a foreword and commentary to essays from prominent public figures, including Bill Clinton, and civil rights leaders and thinkers.

Table of Contents

Preface: Reflecting on the Unfinished Agenda of the Selma--Montgomery Voting Rights March by Dara N. Byrne and William E.Cox. Acknowledgments. Introduction: Selma to Montgomery: An Unfinished Agenda by Tavis Smiley. PART ONE: "CIVIL RIGHT NO. 1." 1. Voices. 2. The Crucible: How Bloody Sunday at the Edmund Pettus Bridge Changed Everything by Clayborne Carson. PART TWO: ARITHMETIC OF POWER. 3. Voices. 4. The Partisan Landscape: How Blacks Became the Indispensable Democrats by Ronald Walters. 5. New Dilemmas: Redistricting and Racial Politics by Carol M. Swain. 6. One Vote, Once Color: Understanding the Connection between Racial Identity and Voting Preferences by Kenny J. Whitby. PART THREE: BRIDGES TO CROSS. 7. Voices. 8. Beyond Racial Politics, or Not? Chicagoa s Experiment in Coalition Politics by Keith W. Reeves. 9. Losing the Right to Vote: The Impact Felony Disenfranchisement by Jamie Fellner and Marc Mauer. PART FOUR: PARALLEL STRUGGLES. 10. Voices. 11. Sisters in the Struggle: Reflections on Black Womena s Activism by Gayle T. Tate. 12. Indian Voters: Awakening a Sovereign Capacity by David E. Wilkins (Lumbee) and Heidi Kiiwetinepinesiik Stark (Turtle Mountain Ojibwe). 13. Latino Voters: Lessons Learned and Misunderstood by Louis DeSipio. 14. Asian American Voters: A Challenging Diversity by Pei--te Lien. PART FIVE ADVANCING THE AGENDA. 15. Keeping the Promise: Why Voting Still Matters by Theodore M. Shaw and Debo P. Adegbile. 16. Where Do We Go from Here? A Vision for a New Black Politics by Manning Marable. Timeline in Civil Rights History. The Voting Rights Act of 1965, Sections 1 Through 11. Notes. Contributors. Index.

Review Text

“One of the difficult lessons we have learned is that you cannot depend on American institutions to function without pressure. Any real change in the status quo depends on continued creative action to sharpen the conscience of the nation.”—MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. “As long as half our eligible voters exercise the right that so many in Selma marched and died for, we’ve got a very long bridge to cross.”—BILL CLINTON “I would hope that students today can learn from Selma to acquire a better understanding of how oppressed people with limited resources can free themselves and make the world better.”—CLAYBORNE CARSON, STANFORD UNIVERSITY

Details