Defending the Spirit: A Black Life in America - Softcover

Robinson, Randall

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0452279682 ISBN 13: 9780452279681

Publisher: Plume, 1999

Synopsis

Randall Robinson's Defending The Spirit is a personal account of his rise from poverty in the segregated south to a position as one of the most distinguished and outspoken political activists of our time. In 1977, Robinson founded TransAfrica, the first organization to lobby for the interests of African and Caribbean peoples. TransAfrica was instrumental in the release of Nelson Mandela from prison in South Africa and the reinstatement of President Aristide in Haiti. Robinson's thoughtful and provocative memoir paints a vivid picture of racism in the hallowed halls of Harvard, where he went to law school, as well as the corridors of power in Washington, D.C. He also recounts in fascinating detail his trips to troubled African and Caribbean nations; more than anyone else, he has raised awareness of the problems in those countries. Defending The Spirit also gives a devastating commentary on America's foreign policy endeavors in African and Caribbean nations, and an impassioned call to African-Americans for new leadership and activism to fight racism all over the world.

About this title

Review

This elegant memoir by Randall Robinson, political activist and founder/president of TransAfrica--an organization that lobbies for African and Caribbean interests that was instrumental in defeating Apartheid in South Africa--details the triumphant life of a warrior dedicated to fighting racism and shows us by his brilliant example how to carry on the fight. You can almost hear Robinson's booming, southern baritone in his forceful prose when he writes about segregation in his native Richmond, Virginia, his experiences at African American Virginia Union University and Harvard Law School, and his near-death from a 27-day fast to protest the government's anti-Haitian immigration policies. Robinson conveys a profound sense following the 1989 AIDS-related death of his brother, ABC News anchor Max Robinson: "In that final year we drew closer as a family, saying to each other the important things, leaving aside the extraneous." On the subject of race, Robinson leaves us with this warning: "Our nation's white leaders have elected, consciously or unconsciously, to ignore the deepening national racial crisis.... Better we face the painful problem now than the conflagration looming ahead." --Eugene Holley, Jr.

From Kirkus Reviews

A remarkable behind-the-scenes look at race relations and the ways in which American foreign policy is crafted and, most importantly, changed. In an era in which apathy colludes with Americans' increasing interest in putting themselves first to create an America of near strangers, this book provides inspirational proof that we not only can but must fight the racial status quo. Robinson, the product of a family of doers (his brother, Max Robinson, was a successful TV broadcaster before he died from AIDS), has had a stunning impact on American race relations in recent decades. In 1977 he founded TransAfrica, the first organization devoted solely to raising awareness of and influencing foreign policies toward African and Caribbean peoples. Under his direction, it has grown from a two-person organization to a national lobbying group with more than 15,000 members. More importantly, it has almost single-handedly helped change the course of history, thanks in no small part to Robinson's drive and remarkable focus. Among the organization's accomplishments thus far: convincing American politicians to invoke economic sanctions against South Africa, helping to free Nelson Mandela, and pushing President Clinton to provide better treatment for Haitian refugees in America and to force the exile of that country's military dictators so that President Aristide could return from his exile. A driven man, Robinson has used everything from savvy public relations maneuvers--in his years as a community activist in Boston, he once stuck 1,000 black crosses in the snow on Harvard's campus to press the university to divest its portfolio of Gulf Oil stock--to hunger strikes to get what he thinks is fair. At once provoking and poignant, this memoir reminds the reader of the value of getting justice rather than simply getting mad. (First serial to Essence) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Edition details

• Publisher: Plume
• Publication date: 1999
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0452279682
• ISBN 13: 9780452279681
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 320