Blacks in and out of the Left

In this version of his 2009 DuBois Lecture at Harvard, University of Chicago political scientist Dawson (Not in Our Lifetimes) addresses the divisions between the organized American left and black activists, among other issues. The author locates the “two most intense periods of twentieth-century black radicalism” as from 1920 to 1955, when the Communist Party dominated black leftist organizing, and 1965 to 1975, the era of black power and radicalism. Dawson reveals the significance of radical activists such as Harry Haywood, Claudia Jones, Hubert Harrison, and Cyril Briggs, along with organizations such as African Blood Brothers, Liberty League, and the League of Revolutionary Black Workers, who have largely been forgotten in mainstream accounts. The related scholarship of Richard Rorty, Todd Gitlin, and Beverly Gage is assessed with sharp negative scrutiny. Though Dawson’s account offers a fresh perspective and provocatively aims “to counter the continuing deadly move to the right in this country,” the book lacks flavor and makes for dull reading. (June)