We Ain't What We Ought to Be: The Black Freedom Struggle from Emancipation to Obama

In this sweeping and absorbing history of black activism, Tuck, an American history lecturer at Oxford University, highlights the achievements of community organizing from the mid-19th century to Barack Obama's dexterous grassroots campaign for the presidency. Tuck argues that there is no one black protest movement or agenda and casts his net over 150 years of black political engagement to reel in untold stories and unsung heroes. He is particularly attentive to the first 20 years of the 20th century, which saw protest, empowerment, and the rise of galvanizing figures from Marcus Garvey to boxer Jack Johnson. While the civil rights movement of the 1960s has become emblematic in the chronology of black history, according to Tuck, it does not define the ongoing fight for social justice and freedom among blacks in America. With rich detail and a strong narrative, Tuck fills in gaps in the story, from the lesser known backroom dealings of Booker T. Washington to the noble efforts on behalf of black women by Anna Julia Cooper. (Jan.)