No resting. Of people and politics, 1908-1932. Remembrance ; Turning the picture of Lincoln to the wall -- Called to Washington, 1933-1935. Will the New Deal be a fair deal? ; A Black cabinet ; Factions -- Thinking and planning together, 1935-1939. Star-led ; We belong here ; Things are happening ; Thwarted -- Fighting on two fronts, 1940-1944. Keep 'em squirming ; Mobilization ; Mighty struggle ; Last of the brain trusters -- Vanishing figures. No resting.
Summary:
In 1932, as the Great Depression ravaged the United States, most African Americans lived in poverty, terrorized by white violence and the institutional racism of Jim Crow. When Franklin Delano Roosevelt ascended to the presidency, buoyed by the Black vote, his administration began building the New Deal, and a "Black Brain Trust" of advisers came together. They became known as the Black Cabinet. Led by educator and activist Mary McLeod Bethune, the Black Cabinet fought hostility and resistance to press for a "square deal" for African Americans. They rallied voters for Roosevelt while fighting the exclusion of Black people from New Deal programs. Through their efforts, Roosevelt signed executive orders outlawing discrimination in the defense industry and established jobs and agriculture programs that lifted many out of poverty. In this lively and illuminating history, Jill Watts tells the story of the forgotten coalition of Black activists who laid the foundation for the Civil Rights Movement and whose work continues to impact Black American lives today. -- Back cover.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.