A Promise and a Way of Life: White Antiracist Activism

by Becky W. Thompson

Book Overview

The first in-depth look at white people's activism in fighting racism during the past fifty years.

Not since the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s, when many white college students went south to fight against Jim Crow laws, has white antiracist activity held the public's attention. Yet there have always been white people involved in fighting racism. In this passionate work, Becky Thompson looks at white Americans who have...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0816636346
• ISBN13: 9780816636341
• Release Date: August 2001
• Publisher: University of Minnesota Press
• Length: 512 Pages
• Weight: 1.52 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.4" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

Activism Still Salient

Becky Thompson has done a remarkable job researching and writing this book. Learning more about white Americans' involvement in the civil rights movement and their continued work today was enlightening and encouraging. The book sheds some light on why some people feel compelled to do antiracist work and answered some questions I have been asking about myself. Reading it helped me understand the era better, validated my beliefs and convictions, and provided me with some new ways of thinking about activism.

Wordy but good

When I bought this book, I really didn't know what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised as I made my way through it of the significant amount of work that was put into this book. While it was a bit wordy, and I wouldn't necessarily recommend it to someone who wasn't interested in the history of white antiracist activism, it's a good text for those who are interested in the history of white folks doing right in the US.