Freedom Road: Pennsylvania Prognostication

"The Selma of the North": Civil Rights Insurgency in Milwaukee

Between 1958 and 1970, a distinctive movement for racial justice emerged from unique circumstances in Milwaukee. A series of local leaders inspired growing numbers of people to participate in campaigns against employment and housing discrimination, segregated public schools, the membership of public officials in discriminatory organizations, welfare cuts, and police brutality.

The Milwaukee movement culminated in the dramatic—and sometimes violent—1967 open housing campaign. A white Catholic priest, James Groppi, led the NAACP Youth Council and Commandos in a militant struggle that lasted for 200 consecutive nights and provoked the ire of thousands of white residents. After working-class mobs attacked demonstrators, some called Milwaukee “the Selma of the North.” Others believed the housing campaign represented the last stand for a nonviolent, interracial, church-based movement.

Patrick Jones tells a powerful and dramatic story that is important for its insights into civil rights history: the debate over nonviolence and armed self-defense, the meaning of Black Power, the relationship between local and national movements, and the dynamic between southern and northern activism. Jones offers a valuable contribution to movement history in the urban North that also adds a vital piece to the national story.

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Blurbs:

Think you know the full story of the civil rights era? Patrick Jones's masterful study of the movement in Milwaukee will make you think again. Meticulously researched and elegantly written, The Selma of the North provides a devastating rebuttal of many of the conventional narratives of the civil rights movement. Here a vibrant nonviolent movement in the de-industrializing Midwest grows into a Black Power movement led by urban youth and a white Catholic priest who use confrontational direct action to lay bare the fissures of racial inequality in the 'liberal' North.
--Jeanne Theoharis, Brooklyn College, editor of Freedom North and Groundwork

A well-researched, well-written, and important history. Based on a rich array of sources, this book enhances our understanding of civil rights activism in the postwar urban North and establishes a useful foundation for the comparison of similar developments elsewhere in the country.
--Joe William Trotter, Jr., Carnegie Mellon University, author of Black Milwaukee

This book fills a serious gap in the literature of the civil rights revolution, joining studies on other cities in laying the groundwork on race and civil rights in the postwar urban North. Jones tells a good story, capturing events that might otherwise be lost to history.
--Arnold R. Hirsch, University of New Orleans, author of Making the Second Ghetto

The Selma of the North is an insightful and invigorating addition to the growing literature on black freedom struggles outside of the South. Jones's important and informative account writes Milwaukee back into the narrative of the civil rights-Black Power era and in the process expands our understanding of postwar America.
--Peniel E. Joseph, Brandeis University, author of Waiting Till the Midnight Hour

The Selma of the North is a riveting new story of the civil rights movement in America, a tale on par with Selma, Birmingham, and Montgomery in its power and importance. Jones's magisterial research and magnetic prose illuminate the untold story of the battle for the urban north in the 1960s, a battle that shows how race has always been the Achilles heel of white progressives. This story transcends easy dichotomies of black and white, North and South, radical and reformist. How did a group called 'the Commandos' define nonviolence? How did a white Catholic priest become a 'Black Power' leader? If this is not a saga for the age of Obama, I don't know what is.
--Timothy B. Tyson, Duke University, author of Radio Free Dixie and Blood Done Sign My Name

Monday, April 21, 2008

Pennsylvania Prognostication

For all of you PA primary watchers, it is time for Obama supporters to regain a little perspective. Over the last couple of weeks, polls have shown the race tightening in PA. No surprise there. But, I suspect many of you are now laboring under unrealistic fantasies that Obama will yet pull off the full upset. Let me be clear, that is highly unlikely. Again, that is highly unlikely... and wholly unnecessary for the Obama campaign. Obama has been parked at around 40-44% for some time. His numbers don't budge. So, it appears he has his ceiling in PA. But, remember, the baseline for Clinton was 19-20 points after the last round of elections. She needs a blowout of 20 or higher to even get back in fighting distance to Obama... and even then she'd still need blowouts in every other remaining contest to have a shot at drawing even in pledged delegates. It ain't happening...

So, what do I expect tomorrow:

• Worst case scenario: If Clinton wins by 15-20 or more, that will spell trouble for Obama, but this is highly unlikely. And, even if that happens, it still doesn't do much for Hillary in terms of the math. It will be a bigger PR nightmare for Obama than anything...

• Best case scenario: Realistically, while I'd love to see Obama pull off the upset, I think if he keeps it between 4-8 points it is a huge "win" for his campaign and ends the whole thing, albeit in a few weeks after Obama wins Indiana and North Carolina.

• Here is what I expect: Clinton wins by 8-12 points (I suspect it is right around 10 points) and trudges onward for the next few rounds. Yes, it will be torturous but it is what it is...

Time is on Obama's side. By June 3, or shortly thereafter, he will be the nominee. So, sit tight, batten down the hatches and enjoy what is sure to be a bumpy landing...

If you are still fretting, Obama fan, here is a good breakdown of the only path Hillary has to the nomination:

What's your prediction?

2 comments:

AnonymousApril 21, 2008 at 11:20 AM
Obama IS going to pull this off, even with a loss tomorrow. . . I AM KEEPING THE FAITH!
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Patrick JonesApril 21, 2008 at 12:14 PM
Anon: OK. I'm not sure we disagree. If by "pulling it off," you mean he will not lose by 15-20 points, I think you are probably right. This will "end it" in terms of the math, which has really already been "ended" for some time now anyway.

Apparently Clinton internal polling data has her winning by 11 points tomorrow. That is right in line with my prediction... http://www.drudgereport.com/flashpa.htm

Really, right now, we are marching to June 3rd, so keep tomorrow in perspective. Keep your eye on that June 3rd prize. That is when there are officially no more tomorrows for the Clinton campaign.
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Monday, April 21, 2008

Pennsylvania Prognostication

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