Confronting the Color Line: The Broken Promise of the Civil Rights Movement in Chicago

This book initially appears to be a rather straightforward history of the failed attempts in the Sixties to desegregate schools and housing in Chicago. On closer reading it proves to be a complex and troubling essay on past and present American racism. It outlines various historical approaches to racial issues within American democracy, then turns to Chicago, describing the emergence of the race issue and offering a detailed examination of the local civil rights struggle. It is a model explication of strategy, conflict, and leadership on race issues. After showing the promising Chicago movement's collapse, the book returns to the broader issue of race in American society. A rewarding, challenging work for informed laypersons, scholars, and specialists. Charles K. Piehl, Director of Sponsored Progs., Mankato State Univ., Minn.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.