King and the other America : the poor people's campaign and the quest for economic equality / Sylvie Laurent.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Laurent, Sylvie, Author.

Contributor:

Wilson, William Julius, Contributor.

Series:

California scholarship online.

California scholarship online

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

King, Martin Luther, Jr., 1929-1968--Influence.

King, Martin Luther.

Equality--United States.

Equality.

Poor--United States.

Poor.

Poor People's Campaign.

United States--Social conditions--1945-.

United States.

United States--Economic conditions--1945-.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (383 pages)

Place of Publication:

Berkeley, CA : University of California Press, [2019]

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

Shortly before his assassination, Martin Luther King Jr. called for a radical redistribution of economic and political power to transform the whole of society. In 1967, he envisioned and designed the Poor People's Campaign, an interracial effort that was carried out after his death. This campaign brought together impoverished Americans of all races to demand better wages, better jobs, better homes, and better education. King and the Other America explores this overlooked and obscured episode of the late civil rights movement, deepening our understanding of King's commitment to social justice and also of the long-term trajectory of the civil rights movement. Digging into earlier radical arguments about economic inequality across America, which King drew on throughout his entire political and religious life, Sylvie Laurent argues that the Poor People's Campaign was the logical culmination of King's influences and ideas, which have had lasting impact on young activists and the public. Fifty years later, growing inequality and grinding poverty in the United States have spurred new efforts to rejuvenate the campaign. This book draws the connections between King's perceptive thoughts on substantive justice and the ongoing quest for equality for all.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Foreword

Introduction

1. The Patriarchs

2. The Prophets of Justice

3. The City and the Church

4. The Torchbearer

5. The Pauper

6. An "American Commune"

7. A Counter-War on Poverty

8. Facing Structural Injustice

9. A "Right Not to Starve"

Conclusion

Notes

Bibliography

Index

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Previously issued in print: 2019.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 06. Apr 2020)

ISBN:

9780520963436

0520963431

OCLC:

1056075200