Freedom Road: Figuring Out the "Green Economy"

"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

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Figuring Out the "Green Economy"

There has been a lot of talk this political season about the so-called "green economy." That sounds good and all, but what the hell is it and how should we be thinking about it? Here are a few good essays on various aspects of the green economy to help you on your way:

- Ben Jervey asks, "What Color is Your Collar: Toward a Definition of Green Collar."

- Adele Stan asks, What will the green economy will look like? "We all say we want to go green, but do we all see the same kinds of change when we imagine an eco-friendly economy?"

- Sarah Werthan Buttenwieser writes about the green revolution on campus. And here is a green spotlight on New York University.

- Preeti Mangala Shekar and Tram Nguyen want to make sure the "green wave" doesn’t leave out communities of color. Van Jones agrees.

- Jason Walsh and Sarah White, in "Global Green Jobs," suggest that "greater awareness of the promise of a green economy allows us to challenge the too-familiar "jobs vs. the environment" frame." Ian Kim similarly suggests "eco-equity" for all workers!

- Kevin Danaher argues that a new strategic focus for progressives must include a green economy.

- Jeremy Brecher and Tim Costello and Brendan Smith argue that "MLK, Jr. died fighting to make green-collar jobs good jobs." Now, others at Green For All have taken on his work. The same authors write about hopeful signs in the green economy. There are signs of life in the Oakland green economy, as well.

- Several authors, here, here and here, argue that the way out of the current global economic mess must be built upon a green economic model.

- Two good books on the green economy are here and here.

- The Ella Baker Center has some nice teaching tools on the green economy for those of you who want to integrate these issues into your classrooms.

- David Korten gave a very interesting presentation at the April 2008 Seattle Green Festival, "Navigating The Great Turning From Empire To Earth Community."

- Mark Harris debunks the green mythology surrounding Whole Foods.

- Here is Obama's plan for a green economy.

Do you know of any good resources to help understand green economics and the profound transformation we need to undertake if we are to live in healthy balance with the natural word? If so, please post them in the comments section...

Freedom Road

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

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Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Figuring Out the "Green Economy"

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