Defying Jim Crow African American community development and the struggle for racial equality in New Orleans, 1900-1960 / Donald E. Devore.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

DeVore, Donald E., author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Community life--Louisiana--New Orleans--History--20th century.

Community life.

African Americans--Civil rights--Louisiana--New Orleans--History--20th century.

African Americans.

African Americans--Louisiana--New Orleans--Social conditions--20th century.

African Americans--Louisiana--New Orleans--History--20th century.

History.

Social conditions.

African Americans--Civil rights.

New Orleans (La.)--History--20th century.

New Orleans (La.).

New Orleans (La.)--Race relations.

Louisiana--New Orleans.

Physical Description:

ix, 276 pages ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Baton Rouge : Louisiana State University Press, [2015]

Summary:

"From the earliest days of Jim Crow, African Americans in New Orleans rallied around the belief that the new system of racially biased laws, designed to relegate them to second-class citizenship, was neither legitimate nor permanent. Drawing on shared memories of fluid race relations and post-Civil War political participation, they remained committed to a disciplined and sustained pursuit of equality. Defying Jim Crow tells the story of this community's decades-long struggle against segregation, disenfranchisement, and racial violence. Amid mounting violence and increasing exclusion, black New Orleanians believed their best defense depended upon maintaining a close-knit and politically engaged community. Donald E. DeVore's peerless research shows how African Americans sought to reverse the trends of oppression by prioritizing the kind of capacity building--investment in education, participation in national organizations, and a spirit of entrepreneurship in markets not dominated by white businessmen--that would ensure the community's ability to keep fighting for their rights in the face of setbacks and hostility from the city's white leaders. As some black activists worked to attain equity within the "separate but equal" framework, they provided a firm foundation and crucial support for more overt challenges to the racist government structures" --publisher's website.

Contents:

Preface

The rise and decline of black equality

Higher education and individual initiative

The religious dimensions of community development

The secular dimensions of community development

Public education

Business and labor

Jim Crow attacked

Freedom now.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (Pages 251-265) and index.

ISBN:

9780807160374

0807160377

OCLC:

894313601