In Anti-Black Prejudice in America Anders Eklof examines the history of oppression, discrimination, and prejudice against black people in America. The author argues that anti-black prejudice has its roots in tribal instincts, religion, and sexuality. The book is divided into eight parts. The first part discusses how humans act as tribal beings loyal to their fellow tribal mates and disloyal to non-members. The tribal instinct is what drove the Europeans to displace the native Indians from America and import black slaves from Africa simply because those two tribes were alien to their beliefs, culture, and race. The subsequent parts of the book present a deep historical background of racism that began in the form of slavery in the 1600s. During this time, black people worked as slaves in cotton plantations owned by white settlers in the South. In the second half of the nineteenth century, however, the American people began having different views towards slavery. The southern states held on to slavery while the North supported the abolishment of slavery, and this conflict led to the American Civil War. In the end, the South was defeated and black people were emancipated from slavery. The reconstruction efforts that were put in place to reclaim what had been destroyed by the Civil War failed. The predominantly white South began segregating the freed slaves in schools, transport, churches, and other public places. Prudishness and eugenics played a critical role in the white people’s attempts to keep their race pure from black “genes.” Interracial marriages were also prohibited in many states across America. Racism continued in America as the country underwent the Great Depression in the 1930s and the Second World War in the 1940s. However, the Supreme Court decision of 1954 between Brown and the Board of Education abolished segregation in schools. What followed next is a wave of protests in the 1960s. Important figures like Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and Rosa Parks led the civil rights movements of the 1960s. At that time, racial equality, communism, and the Vietnam War were hot topics of discussion in the political arena. Anders describes how different presidents of the U.S. handled these issues during the post-WWII era. He concludes the discussion by presenting the recent cases of racial discrimination and how residual racism still taints the soul of America.
I liked the book mostly because the author provides the often untold truths about the oppression of black people in America. He is very frank in revealing what the white supremacist organizations were doing to black men during the highly publicized lynching in the southern states. The pictures that Anders includes in the book tell the whole story and the pain that was endured by the forefathers of black people in America. Another positive aspect is that the book is sort of two histories told in one because as you go through the history of racism in America you also learn about other important events that define the history of America as a country. The book was also interesting to read because the author cites sources, including books, essays, and journals that were written at the time when slavery and racism were going on in America. Anders was also successful in communicating the theme of the book to readers. There was an in-depth discussion of the topics of tribalism, religion, and sexuality throughout the book as the author takes you through the history of racism in America. Lastly, the organization of the book into parts and chapters made it easy for me to follow the theme and understand the author’s ideas.
One of the shortcomings of the book is the presence of a few grammar and spelling mistakes. Another weakness is the blunt discussion of sexuality issues and the graphic descriptions of how black men were lynched by white mobs.
I would give the book a rating of 4 out of 5 stars because, first, the number of strengths is greater than the number of weaknesses. Secondly, the previously mentioned issue of graphic descriptions seems to be justified because the author was examining the history of anti-black prejudice in America in a more detailed way. Also, for the most part, the book appears to be professionally edited, and the few grammar errors can easily be corrected.
I would recommend the book to students, professors, and researchers in the field of racism in America. By reading the book, they would learn many things about what has been happening to black people for many centuries and how different administrations have responded to their oppression. The book can also be interesting to black activists, media personalities, and public servants who seek to end anti-black prejudice in America.
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