Black Liberation and the American Dream
The Struggle for Racial and Economic Justice
Description
Considering the connections between class and racial oppression, and the often marginalized role of the Left in antiracist struggles, Le Blanc skillfully introduces key texts from crucial figures in African American radicalism: 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 combination of a rich analytical understanding with key primary texts makes Black Liberation and the American Dream a unique and invaluable resource for those engaged in contemporary struggles. It is a crucial text for activists and scholars alike.
Author Bios
Paul Le Blanc, long-time activist and Professor of History at La Roche College, is the author of a number of widely-read studies, including Lenin and the Revolutionary Party, From Marx to Gramsci, and Marx, Lenin and the Revolutionary Experience. With Michael Yates he has written the widely-acclaimed A Freedom Budget for All Americans and has co-edited a selection of Leon Trotsky’s Writings in Exile.
More Info
Publication date: November 7, 2017
Table of Contents
Preface
PART ONE
1. Reaching for the American dream
2. Confronting racism in society ... and in ourselves
3. Understanding racism
4. The history of racism and anti-racism
5. Overcoming racism 6. Practical steps Sources
PART TWO: READINGS
I. Pioneers in the Struggle for African American Liberation
1. Frederick Douglass #
2. Martin Delaney
3. Sojourner Truth
4. Harriet Tubman
5. Ida B. Wells-Barnett
6. Booker T. Washington
7. W.E.B. Du Bois
8. Marcus Garvey
9. A. Philip Randolph
10. Paul Robeson
11. Bayard Rustin
12. Ella Baker
II. Dimensions of the Black Struggle
1. W.E.B. Du Bois
2. Malcolm X
3. Martin Luther King, Jr.
4. Septima Clark
5. Ella Baker
6. Vincent Harding
7. Adolph Reed, Jr.
III. The U.S. Left and Anti-racism
1. Alan Wald
2. C.L.R. James
3. Steve Bloom and David Finkel
4. A. Philip Randolph Institute
5. Amiri Baraka
6. Black Panther Party
7. League of Revolutionary Black Workers
8. Angela Y. Davis
IV. Intersections of Race, Ethnicity, Class and Gender
1. Audre Lorde
2. David Rodiger
3. June Jordan
4. Alice Walker
5. Ronald Takaki
6. Manning Marable
7. Saladin Muhammad
