An intersectional history of the shared struggle for African American and Latinx civil rights
Spanning more than two hundred years,
An African American and Latinx History of the United States is a revolutionary, politically charged narrative history, arguing that the “Global South” was crucial to the development of America as we know it. Scholar and activist Paul Ortiz challenges the notion of westward progress as exalted by widely taught formulations like “manifest destiny” and “Jacksonian democracy,” and shows how placing African American, Latinx, and Indigenous voices unapologetically front and center transforms US history into one of the working class organizing against imperialism.
Drawing on rich narratives and primary source documents, Ortiz links racial segregation in the Southwest and the rise and violent fall of a powerful tradition of Mexican labor organizing in the twentieth century, to May 1, 2006, known as International Workers’ Day, when migrant laborers—Chicana/os, Afrocubanos, and immigrants from every continent on earth—united in resistance on the first “Day Without Immigrants.” As African American civil rights activists fought Jim Crow laws and Mexican labor organizers warred against the suffocating grip of capitalism, Black and Spanish-language newspapers, abolitionists, and Latin American revolutionaries coalesced around movements built between people from the United States and people from Central America and the Caribbean. In stark contrast to the resurgence of “America First” rhetoric, Black and Latinx intellectuals and organizers today have historically urged the United States to build bridges of solidarity with the nations of the Americas.
Incisive and timely, this bottom-up history, told from the interconnected vantage points of Latinx and African Americans, reveals the radically different ways that people of the diaspora have addressed issues still plaguing the United States today, and it offers a way forward in the continued struggle for universal civil rights.
2018 Winner of the PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Literary Award
FERLO1969 –
Quick shipping and excellent quality !
KB –
This book is a great read, but it will piss you off. One of the most eye opening books I have read in a long time.
Gamehendge Patriot –
Written in a style that reminded me of Howard Zinn’s ‘A People’s History of the United States’. I learned to see the founding of our nation through the hidden struggles of different ethnicity. I highly recommend this for a wealth of information I’m glad I now know. I plan to read it again!
Krissymitchy –
This book sent me on an emotional roller coaster which opened my eyes to the long battle of emancipation for blacks and Latinos that continue to go on today.
SLC –
This book was purchased to be used in a book group. We took it slow reading and discussing one chapter/week. It was eye-opening & accessible. I highly recommend it.
Cameron Kyle Combs –
This book exceeded my expectations. I knew it would teach me things about the history of the United States that I did not learn in school. What I didn’t realize was the volume, breadth and depth of information purposely held back, rewritten, lied about and manipulated by those hoping to hold on to white supremacy in this country, and the Western Hemisphere.We begin at the beginning of European colonization of the Americas and proceed to present day, and learn the nature of systemic racism in all facets of this country – from founding, to development, to power; within every industry, system and level. I started out angry, angry at the school system that deprived me of the truth. At the end, that anger – which increased as I turned each page – seemed terribly inadequate as a response to the facts. I’m still processing and unpacking the information and will be for some time. Luckily, the notes and references – over 160 pages of them – will serve as the launching point for further inquiry and understanding.
Jasmine Maloney –
Truly eye opening. Don’t just read this book. Highlight, take notes, absorb the information. Use it to educate yourself and others. I’m studying to be a history teacher and I hope one day I’ll see this book as apart of the school curriculum in the United States because it should be.
Charley –
This book is creatively distilled, well evidenced, and convincing. It presents a totally different view of history that is of critical importance for all of us. I highly recommend this book for people of all ages. It’s approachable and intended for high school students, though complex enough for everyone to glean important and critical knowledge. A must read! The great supplement for Zinn lovers.
Tshelane Sipho –
This book narrates hatred towards people of Latino background in the USA. Such hatred is driven by tolerated stereotypes in American public especially the Irish Question.
Kindle Customer –
learned a lot. enjoyable
john Kv –
Worth reading to better understand the dark side of US exceptionalism. Detailed with references, authoritative but enthralling, stay with it.
Wayfaring Stranger –
Forgotten or suppressed stories that are an integral part of US history get treated in this book. My own schooling took place between first grade in 1947 and graduate school in 1970, and toward the end of that time I began to notice that several types of experience had been given minimal treatment in textbooks. Since 1970 I have been teaching both undergraduates and graduate students at the university level, where I find I have as much to learn as my students. It seems that in every succeeding decade historians working in archives have enriched and deepened our understanding of our nation’s history, our triumphs and failings, and Ortiz’s book is an exciting and provocative synthesis of the emerging consensus.
JO HARRIS –
Good historybook
Takoma Dude –
This special treatment of the African American and Latinx historical experience is a must-have for everyone who treasures truth and justice. It shows both adults and young adults what actually happened in history, rather than the feel-good myths contained in most textbooks. An excellent companion to this fresh view of history would be the short story collection “Dash: Young Black Refugee and Migration Stories” or something similar, which illustrates the impact of oppression on past and present people of color.
Yuliya Shtalenkova –
This is the greatest history book that I have ever read.
ENMOENMO –
This book is a piece of art. It takes you on a journey into raw American history BUT NOT ISOLATED a from the world. Our history is showcased in context, as piece in the larger puzzle called world history. This book isn’t for those looking for a Disney version of US history. Also, it’s constant referencing to intersectionality between the struggle of the “other”, the black and brown people of the americas, and beyond, is refreshing and vindicating.Please read with an open mind and heart. USA’s history isn’t pink and sweet, it is sour and mostly bitter. It is our responsibility to be aware of our past and committed to be better humans, now and later.
sarah elliott –
Same series, get the book excellent series didn’t learn it in our classrooms for 500 years educate yourself by reading this series of books called African Latinos, black women African-Americans in the United States
A. Holser –
The book provides an enlightening viewpoint of American history and our richly complex society. It helped me rethink the historical narrative I had been taught as a child, and alter the way I viewed our history and society. A must-read for anyone interested in understanding our combined cultures.
TedTed –
A refreshing and much appreciated addition to my personal and classroom libraries.
A disappointed client –
Bonne état
M. Stepherson –
This reading closed some gaps in my understanding of American history while adding new knowledge about other ethnic groups and their connection to our narrative.
Brooke J. Yarber –
This series of Revisioning History books is amazing!!
Maria Jose Ramirez –
Great book
Loves Books n Bikes –
This book tells the REAL story of our American History. I am highlighting every name and many quotes to research further! Best book purchase for my teaching of middle (and high school) students. I am buying the “Indigenous People’s History” next!
Angela H. –
I originally bought this book for my teenage son to read as a supplement with some other resources for what he is NOT learning in history and social studies. This book has been a valuable reference in our homeschool curriculum and discussions. I encourage anyone reading this book to go even further with their own studies to see where our people have been erased, mistreated, and targeted not only during the slave trade but throughout the inquisition and the years before during the birth, and evolution of the Church. Tying all of this together has been eye-opening.