Wiley-Blackwell Invisible Enemy: The African American Freedom Struggle after 1965: 3 (America's Recent Past)

This highly accessible account of the evolution of American racism outlines how ‘colorblind’ approaches to discrimination ensured the perpetuation of racial inequality in the United States well beyond the 1960s. A highly accessible account of the evolution of American racism, its perpetuation, and black people’s struggles for equality in the post-civil rights era Guides students to a better understanding of the experiences of black Americans and their ongoing struggles for justice, by highlighting the interconnectedness of African American history with that of the nation as a whole Highlights the economic and political functions that racism has served throughout the nation’s history Discusses the continuation of the freedom movement beyond the 1960s to provide a comprehensive new historiography of racial equality and social justice Review "The book is an important contribution in understanding a still largely overlooked period of contemporary history. Highly recommended. All levels/libraries." (Choice , 1 April 2011) "Even so, the thematic unity and clear elucidation of the nature and persistence of systemic racism in American society and of white Americans ' blindness to it makes the book a valuable study thatshould engage student audiences and the reading public." (Journal of American History, 1 March 2011) Review “A remarkable scholarly work that illuminates why the struggle for equal rights did not achieve full racial equality. . . de Jong draws attention to the oppressive economic and political  forces that have yet to be overcome, even as Americans celebrate the dream of Martin Luther King, Jr.”  Clayborne Carson, Founding director of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Instituteat Stanford University“De Jong writes with passion and grace.  Her historically-grounded treatment of both racism and black Americans' self-directed struggles for justice make this study an invaluable guide to the complexities of race in contemporary society.” William L. Van Deburg, author of New Day in Babylon: The Black Power Movement and American Culture, 1965-1975 From the Inside Flap Invisible Enemy outlines how “colorblind” approaches to discrimination ensured the perpetuation of racial inequality in the United States after the 1960s, and how this in turn necessitated further struggles on behalf of black rights in the post-civil rights era. The book examines the hidden forms of racism that survived beyond the 1960s, highlighting their impact on black Americans as well as on American politics and society as a whole. It describes the various forms of black activism -- ignored in many histories of the freedom struggle -- that continued at both national and local levels. The final chapter conceptualizes the post-1960s freedom movement as part of a global struggle for justice in response to the spread of free market capitalism around the world in the late twentieth century. In an approach that aims to deepen readers' awareness of the nature of the nation’s racial problems, de Jong emphasizes that racism must be understood historically, as the product of specific laws and policies that ensured an unequal status for African Americans. Invisible Enemy illuminates the complexities of modern racism and enhances our understanding of the struggles for racial equality and social justice. From the Back Cover Invisible Enemy outlines how “colorblind” approaches to discrimination ensured the perpetuation of racial inequality in the United States after the 1960s, and how this in turn necessitated further struggles on behalf of black rights in the post-civil rights era. The book examines the hidden forms of racism that survived beyond the 1960s, highlighting their impact on black Americans as well as on American politics and society as a whole. It describes the various forms of black activism -- ignored in many histories of the freedom struggle -- that continued at both n