Separate and Unequal: The Kerner Commission and the Unraveling of American Liberalism (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780465096084)

From a New York Times bestselling author, the definitive history of the Kerner Commission, whose report on urban unrest reshaped American debates about race and inequality

In Separate and Unequal, New York Times bestselling historian Steven M. Gillon offers a revelatory new history of the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders -- popularly known as the Kerner Commission. Convened by President Lyndon Johnson after riots in Newark and Detroit left dozens dead and thousands injured, the commission issued a report in 1968 that attributed the unrest to "white racism" and called for aggressive new programs to end discrimination and poverty. "Our nation is moving toward two societies," it warned, "one black, and one white -- separate and unequal."

Johnson refused to accept the Kerner Report, and as his political coalition unraveled, its proposals went nowhere. For the right, the report became a symbol of liberal excess, and for the left, one of opportunities lost. Separate and Unequal is essential for anyone seeking to understand the fraught politics of race in America.

Author: Steven M. Gillon
ISBN-10: 0465096085
ISBN-13: 9780465096084
Publisher: Basic Books
Language: English
Published: 03/06/2018
Pages: 400
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.35lbs
Size: 9.60h x 6.30w x 1.60d

Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 01/01/2018
Library Journal 02/15/2018 pg. 72
Publishers Weekly 02/12/2018
Choice 08/01/2018