1st Edition
The Modern African American Political Thought Reader From David Walker to Barack Obama
The Modern African American Political Thought Reader compiles the work of great African American political thinkers throughout the twentieth century and up through today to show the development of black political thought and trace the interconnectedness of each person's ideas through their own words. From abolition, through civil rights, Black nationalism, radical feminism, neo-conservativism, and the new Black Moderate, Angela Jones has collected the key readings of the most important figures in black political history.
Each chapter includes an introduction to the themes of the chapter, a biographical sketch of the person profiled, and some of their greatest works, chosen to show the range of political subjects of interest to African Americans. From Radicals like Angela Y. Davis to Conservatives such as Michael Steele, this anthology showcases the diversity of political thought within the African American community. It is a must for anyone interested in African American history and politics.
Introduction
Part I: The Antebellum Era: the Rise of Abolitionism
Chapter 1: David Walker
Chapter 2: Maria Stewart
Chapter 3: Frederick Douglass
Chapter 4: Anna Julia Cooper
Part II: Reconstruction and Beyond: Debates over the Negro Problem and the Creation of Civil Rights Discourse
Chapter 5: Alexander Crummell
Chapter 6: Booker T. Washington
Chapter 7: Ida B. Wells
Chapter 8: William Monroe Trotter
Chapter 9: W.E.B. Du Bois
Chapter 10: A. Philip Randolph
Chapter 11: Bayard Rustin
TChapter 12: Mary McLeod Bethune
Chapter 13: Martin Luther King Jr.
Part III: Black Nationalism: Its Roots and Development
Chapter 14: Martin Delaney
Chapter 15: Henry McNeal Turner
Chapter 16: Marcus Garvey
Chapter 17: Malcolm X
Chapter 18: Stokley Carmichael/Kwame Toure
Chapter 19: The Black Panthers: Founders Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale
Part IV: Black Radical Feminism
Chapter 20: Claudia Jones
Chapter 21: Florynce "Flo" Kennedy
Chapter 22: Shirley Chisholm
Chapter 23: Angela Y. Davis
Part V: Modern Black Conservatives: Why Black "Neo-Cons" Matter
Chapter 24: Clarence Thomas
Chapter 25: Alan Keyes
Chapter 26: Michael Steele
Chapter 27: Star Parker
Part VI: The New Black Moderate: Obama and Beyond
Chapter 28: Barack Obama
Biography
Angela Jones is Assistant Professor of Sociology at Farmingdale State College, State University of New York’
The Modern African American Political Thought Reader is an important and timely resource for the study of African American History and Culture.
Peniel E. Joseph, author of Dark Days, Bright Nights: From Black Power to Barack Obama
Cutting through the 'noise' of a new class of mainstream media pundits, The Modern African American Political Thought Reader provides a great social and intellectual service by connecting an illustrious past and present of African American thought production. The discourse, and the actions this discourse inspires, is an invaluable contribution to a much-needed delineation of the nuances within black historical and contemporary political thought. Most importantly, The Modern African American Political Thought Reader necessarily troubles our conception of "the" black community as a singular, unified entity. Instead, Jones' volume reveals the plurality and collisions of intellectual debate that are crucial to shaping a vital vision of African Americans with a linked destiny, but disparate strategies for achieving social justice.
Kimberly Springer, author of Living for the Revolution: Black Feminist Organizations, 1968–1980