The collection consists of an edited transcript of Kyna Rubin's oral history of Fred Harris, a long-time African-American resident of northeast Portland, conducted in the autumn of 2016. In addition to details about Harris' life, the interview discusses the neighborhood around NE 13th Avenue near NE Klickitat, race relations in Portland, and the block party which Harris helped begin.
Two Societies: The Rioting of 1967 and the Writing of the Kerner Report studies this rioting and examines how this 600-page report was written in only seven months and unanimously adopted by a committee of both Republicans and Democrats. Designed so that each chapter can serve as stand-alone account of some aspect about the report, its development, or the rioting, Two Societies also looks into why the rioting seemed to suddenly stop after Martin Luther King’s assassination, it assesses to what extent progress has been made at eliminating the “two societies” that the report warned about, and it compares 1967’s rioting to the disorders that occurred after George Floyd’s death in 2020. Given that so many of the subjects that the Kerner Report addressed (unequal economic opportunities, controversial police incidents, a lack of understanding about the existence and impact of racism, etc.) are identical to those that we struggle with today, Two Societies will not only be of interest to those who study or participate in the public decision-making process but also those who want to know what happened then and what is happening now.
After the passage of sweeping civil rights and voting rights legislation in 1964 and 1965, the civil rights movement stood poised to build on considerable momentum. In a famous speech at Howard University in 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson declared that victory in the next battle for civil rights would be measured in "equal results" rather than equal rights and opportunities. It seemed that for a brief moment the White House and champions of racial equality shared the same objectives and priorities. Finding common ground proved elusive, however, in a climate of growing social and political unrest marked by urban riots, the Vietnam War, and resurgent conservatism. Examining grassroots movements and organizations and their complicated relationships with the federal government and state authorities between 1965 and 1968, David C. Carter takes readers through the inner workings of local civil rights coalitions as they tried to maintain strength within their organizations while facing both overt and subtle opposition from state and federal officials. He also highlights internal debates and divisions within the White House and the executive branch, demonstrating that the federal government's relationship to the movement and its major goals was never as clear-cut as the president's progressive rhetoric suggested. Carter reveals the complex and often tense relationships between the Johnson administration and activist groups advocating further social change, and he extends the traditional timeline of the civil rights movement beyond the passage of the Voting Rights Act.
This work was produced in furtherance of the Center's statutory mandate to conduct, coordinate, and encourage programs relating to the history of the judicial branch ...
Read what it was like to go into a building everyone else was running or jumping from. Newark firefighters appointed between 1942 and 1978 describe their experiences on the scene of fires and assorted other emergencies to which they responded. Responding leaves the firehouse and rolls out into the streets of Newark where our work is done. You are brought into the fire building to share the satisfaction and sacrifices inherent in the fire service. Crawl down the hot dark hallways of fire buildings with Newark's bravest. The reader is introduced to responding and fire fighting procedures. Memorable fires from 1942 to 1966 are recounted along with unusual responses from the '40's to the '90's. Vivid memories of tragedies and lost brothers are re-lived with poignant honesty as the men continue to paint an unvarnished history of New Jersey's largest city.
Read what life was like in Newark's firehouses while waiting for the bell to hit. "Life Between Alarms" takes you into the private world of the firehouse where firemen eat, sleep, drill, and do the housework (someone has to clean the place). The bonds formed last a lifetime as do the laughs (boys will be boys). Members of the NFD appointed from 1942 to 1978 talk about the daily routine of the firehouse, the responsibilities of the housed watch, the unique camaraderie shared by firefighters, studying for promotion and then adjusting to new responsibilities after being promoted, and finally the humor used by firemen to break up the monotony of waiting for the ""big one."" Find out what it was like to be a member of the ""best men's club in the world.""
In Riots to Renaissance the story of the Newark Fire Department from that fateful July in 1967 to the experiences of 2003 are recounted. This volume begins with the warning signs that an explosion was about to occur on Newark's streets. The men who fought the fires created by that explosion then describe in detail what they felt and how they dealt with the societal chaos that was Newark in July of 1967. If you have read A View from the Firehouse: The Newark Riots, you are familiar with the fire department history of those troubled nights. The stories told in this book will introduce you to how it felt and what members of the Newark Fire Department did to get through that time.The next chapters follow Newark and her fire department as they spiral downward until the city is nothing but a shell of its former self. It was said that wherever America's cities were going, Newark would get there first. During the 20 years that followed the Riots, it appeared America's cities would simply burn to the ground, but by the late 1980s hope had crept back into the picture. The members of the NFD were fighting fires and saving lives throughout this period when the city was transformed and reborn, some say becoming America's renaissance city. Follow Newark firefighters through the worst period in the history of the city and into an era of hope.
