Product Description
Published in March 2005, in commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the landmark protest that changed the history of voting in the United States, this collection of original essays and narratives reflects on how far we’ve come since 1965—and how far we still need to go.
Contributors and Excerpts:
Martin Luther King, Jr., Lyndon Baynes Johnson, Joseph E. Lowery, John Lewis, Clayborne Carson, J.L. Chestnut, Jr., Ronald Walters, Carol Swain, Kenny J. Whitby, Henry Sanders, Andrew Young, Bill Clinton, Lani Guinier, Keith W. Reeves, Jamie Fellner, Marc Mauer, Ella Baker, Tex G. Hall, Raúl Yzaguirre, Margaret Fung, Gayle Tate, David E. Wilkins, Louis DeSipio, Pei-Te Lien, Theodore M. Shaw, Debo P. Adegbile, Manning Marable, Heidi Kiiwetinepinesiik Stark
Also includes: Timeline in Civil Rights History; Multicultural Impact: The Unfinished Agenda for Asian American Voters, Indian Voters: Awakening a Sovereign Capacity, and Latino Voters: Lessons Learned and Misunderstood
Excerpts:
"This book is an excellent argument for ceaseless vigilance and activism. As Dr. King said in his letter from a Selma jail, one of the most difficult lessons of the movement was that "you cannot depend on American institutions to function without pressure; real change depends on continued creative action."
-Tavis Smiley, from Foreword
"It's too easy to dismiss Americans who don't take advantage of their right to vote as 'stuck' or 'stupid.' I don't accept such complacency, but especially after the election of 2000, I do understand how people think our democracy is dysfunctional, and why they are just turned off by the entire process."
-Tavis Smiley, from Foreword
"Changing the rules requires innovations in the electoral process itself. The traditional plurality system in American elections gives the victory to the candidate with the most votes. This system is not only easily usurped by corporate interests, but also, by its nature, manipulates public preferences in time-worn outcomes. In multi-candidate, citywide elections, in which minority constituencies represent one-third of the total vote or less, it becomes virtually impossible to select candidates who represent their interests."
- Manning Marable, from Chapter 16, Where Do We Go From Here?
"Latinos (and Latino advocates of VRA extension) must also examine how electoral rules, particularly advance registration requirements, disproportionately discourage Latino and other minority electoral participation. The truism of lower participation among the young, the less educated, and those with lower incomes, is, in part, a function of the fact that individuals with these characteristics are less confident in negotiating the complexities of segregation and voting."
- Louis DeSipio, from Chapter 13, Latino Voters
Contributors and Excerpts:
Martin Luther King, Jr., Lyndon Baynes Johnson, Joseph E. Lowery, John Lewis, Clayborne Carson, J.L. Chestnut, Jr., Ronald Walters, Carol Swain, Kenny J. Whitby, Henry Sanders, Andrew Young, Bill Clinton, Lani Guinier, Keith W. Reeves, Jamie Fellner, Marc Mauer, Ella Baker, Tex G. Hall, Raúl Yzaguirre, Margaret Fung, Gayle Tate, David E. Wilkins, Louis DeSipio, Pei-Te Lien, Theodore M. Shaw, Debo P. Adegbile, Manning Marable, Heidi Kiiwetinepinesiik Stark
Also includes: Timeline in Civil Rights History; Multicultural Impact: The Unfinished Agenda for Asian American Voters, Indian Voters: Awakening a Sovereign Capacity, and Latino Voters: Lessons Learned and Misunderstood
Excerpts:
"This book is an excellent argument for ceaseless vigilance and activism. As Dr. King said in his letter from a Selma jail, one of the most difficult lessons of the movement was that "you cannot depend on American institutions to function without pressure; real change depends on continued creative action."
-Tavis Smiley, from Foreword
"It's too easy to dismiss Americans who don't take advantage of their right to vote as 'stuck' or 'stupid.' I don't accept such complacency, but especially after the election of 2000, I do understand how people think our democracy is dysfunctional, and why they are just turned off by the entire process."
-Tavis Smiley, from Foreword
"Changing the rules requires innovations in the electoral process itself. The traditional plurality system in American elections gives the victory to the candidate with the most votes. This system is not only easily usurped by corporate interests, but also, by its nature, manipulates public preferences in time-worn outcomes. In multi-candidate, citywide elections, in which minority constituencies represent one-third of the total vote or less, it becomes virtually impossible to select candidates who represent their interests."
- Manning Marable, from Chapter 16, Where Do We Go From Here?
"Latinos (and Latino advocates of VRA extension) must also examine how electoral rules, particularly advance registration requirements, disproportionately discourage Latino and other minority electoral participation. The truism of lower participation among the young, the less educated, and those with lower incomes, is, in part, a function of the fact that individuals with these characteristics are less confident in negotiating the complexities of segregation and voting."
- Louis DeSipio, from Chapter 13, Latino Voters
Additional Information
| condition | new |
|---|---|
| brief description | A collection of original essays and narratives reflects on how far we’ve come since 1965—and how far we still need to go. |
| ISBN | 9780471710370 |
| author | William E. Cox, Editor |
| Publication Date | Feb 3, 2005 |
| Number of Pages | 240 |
| Publisher | Wiley |
| Table of Contents | INTRODUCTION Foreword by Tavis Smiley 1. Voices Martin Luther King, Jr., Lyndon Baines Johnson, Joseph E. Lowery, John Lewis 2. The Crucible "How Bloody Sunday at the Edmund Pettus Bridge Changed Everything" PART II - THE ARITHMETIC OF POWER 3. Voices: Henry Sander, Andrew Young, Bill Clinton, Lani Guinier 4. The Partisan Landscape "How Blacks Became the Indispensable Democrats" 5. New Dilemmas " Redistricting and Racial Dilemmas" 6. One Vote, One Color "Understanding the Connection between Racial Identity and Voter Preferences" PART III - BRIDGES TO CROSS 7. Voices: Henry Sander, Andrew Young, Bill Clinton, Lani Guinier 8. Beyond Racial Politics or Not? "Chicago's Experiment in Coalition Politics" 9. Losing the Right to Vote "The Impact of Felony Disenfranchisement" PART IV - PARALLEL STRUGGLES 10. Voices: Ella Baker, Tex G. Hall, Raul Yzaguirre, Margaret Fung 11. Sisters in Struggle "Reflections on Black Women's Activism" 12. Indian Voters "Awakening a Sovereign Capacity" 13. Latino Voters "Lessons Learned and Misunderstood" 14. Asian American Voters "A Challenging Diversity" PART V - ADVANCING THE AGENDA 15. Keeping the Promise "Why Voting Still Matters" 16. Where Do We Go From Here? "A Vision for a New Black Politics" |
| Cover Type | Hardback |
| Base Image | /u/n/unfinishedagenda.jpg |
| Small Image | /u/n/unfinishedagenda.jpg |
| Thumbnail | /u/n/unfinishedagenda.jpg |