Justice Rising

Robert Kennedy's America in Black and White

Justice Rising
Patricia Sullivan
RRP:
NZ$ 75.99
Our Price:
NZ$ 64.59
Hardback
h235 x 156mm - 544pg
25 Jun 2021 US
International import eta 10-30 days
9780674737457
Out Of Stock
Currently no stock in-store, stock is sourced to your order
A leading civil rights historian places Robert Kennedy for the first time at the center of the movement for racial justice of the 1960s? and shows how many of today' s issues can be traced back to that pivotal time. Bobby Kennedy was an unlikely civil rights hero. A cold warrior who once worked for Joe McCarthy, he grew up in a sheltered world where segregation was the norm. But when he became attorney general in 1961, he plunged headfirst into the politics of race. In this landmark reconsideration of his life and legacy, Patricia Sullivan reveals how he grasped the moment to emerge as a transformational leader at a tumultuous time. Drawing on government files, personal papers, and oral interviews with many of those who worked with him, Justice Rising shows how RFK used all the tools at his disposal to confront violent resistance to desegregation across the South. He pioneered the use of federal powers to challenge voting rights violations, intervened personally to desegregate schools, and championed criminal justice reform. The Justice Department under Kennedy became an incubator of change, where policy was imagined, tested, and put to work on the volatile frontier of race, crime, and the law. When violent racial uprisings broke out in northern cities and many called for more aggressive law enforcement, Kennedy pushed to address their root causes: entrenched poverty, decaying housing, substandard schools, predatory policing, and a near total absence of employment opportunities. As a presidential candidate before his tragic assassination in 1968 he sought to bridge the nation' s racial divisions. Deeply researched and compellingly written, Justice Rising offers a groundbreaking reconsideration of Robert Kennedy' s role in the culminating years of the civil rights movement and sheds new light on the battles that remain.
Justice Rising is a profound and uplifting account of Robert F. Kennedy' s brave crusade for racial equality. This is narrative history at its absolute finest, with RFK squarely at the center of the 1960s civil rights movement along with Martin Luther King Jr. , James Baldwin, Cesar Chavez, and other fearless activists. Bare-knuckled, with a golden heart, RFK was a visionary force to reckon with. This towering biographical portrait will stand the test of time. Highly recommended! -- Douglas Brinkley, author of Rosa Parks A nuanced and deeply researched portrait of Robert Kennedy' s engagement with the civil rights movement as attorney general, U. S. senator, and presidential candidate. . . Sullivan makes a persuasive case that Kennedy played a crucial role in persuading white Americans to recognize the ill effects of racial discrimination. The result is an immersive and eye-opening history. * Publishers Weekly * A distillation of the motivations and importance of Robert F. Kennedy' s life and legacy. . . Effectively shows why Kennedy, who cared deeply about the plights of his fellow citizens, was beloved by millions. . . A sharp portrayal of the potential of the 1960s through the lens of RFK. * Kirkus Reviews (starred review) * This is a groundbreaking book that reorients our understanding of a surprisingly underexplored aspect of Robert Kennedy' s life and career-race and civil rights-and sheds new light on race relations during a pivotal era of American history. Some readers, especially in our current racial moment, may be skeptical of Kennedy' s importance, but Patricia Sullivan delivers a nuanced and informative portrait of Kennedy as one of the central players in the evolving drama of ' 60s-era race relations. He remains an iconic figure, with his assassination shortly after that of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. forever freezing his public image as a symbol of the unrealized potential of late-1960s politics. -- Kenneth Mack, author of Representing the Race Profoundly researched, vividly written, Justice Rising is a monumental reconsideration of RFK' s bold vision and creative strategies in the bitter climate of white supremacy. As the struggle continues, this is the book we ALL need now! -- Blanche Wiesen Cook, author of Eleonor Roosevelt This magisterial history of how the social movements of the 1960s turned Robert Kennedy into a crusader for racial justice and great progressive president-in-the-making is timely. Patricia Sullivan has written the definitive book on the courageous and visionary leadership of the complex and ever-growing Robert Kennedy. -- Cornel West Patricia Sullivan' s magnificent book brings Robert Kennedy' s grace, moral leadership, and wisdom to a new generation of Americans who seek solutions to the same challenges that he so boldly confronted. Few American politicians have displayed such profound moral vision or such a stunning capacity to inspire others to take on the deep challenges facing the nation. His assassination cut short his quest for national healing, and our vast inequalities and racial divisions persist to this day. Justice Rising is an important book at an important moment in America. -- Jeffrey Sachs, author of The End of Poverty Justice Rising is a brilliant exploration of Robert Kennedy' s deep immersion in the civil rights-Black Power movement. The interactions between RFK' s public life and the wide-ranging racial reckoning of the 1960s come alive in new and compelling ways in this engrossing narrative. Equally impressive, this insightful work deepens our understanding of the intertwined political and racial worlds of the 1960s. It is a stunning achievement. -- Waldo Martin, coauthor of Black against Empire
Patricia Sullivan is the author of Lift Every Voice: The NAACP and the Making of the Civil Rights Movement, the first history of the formative decades of America' s oldest civil rights organization; Days of Hope: Race and Democracy in the New Deal Era; and Freedom Writer: Virginia Foster Durr, Letters from the Civil Rights Years. She is William Arthur Fairey II Professor of History at the University of South Carolina.
Status: Active
ISBN-13: 9780674737457
Published: 25 Jun 2021
Published In: United States
Imprint: The Belknap Press
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Format: Hardback
Height: 235mm
Width: 156mm
Pages: 544

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