Description
Book SynopsisTells the behind-the-scenes story of a small federal agency that made a big difference in civil rights conflicts over the last half century. Grande Lum examines the history of the Community Relations Service (CRS) of the US Department of Justice over the course of the last three decades.
Trade ReviewThis book, America’s Peacemakers, reflects on the first 50 years of this Service’s extraordinary history. It also looks toward to the next 50. We must reaffirm our determination to meet intolerance with understanding, to confront ignorance with informed dialogue, and to promote opportunity, access, and inclusion - in every community and circumstance." - Eric Holder, Former United States Department of Justice Attorney General
"This is not only an important history of a major part of the American civil rights movement, it should be essential reading for anyone in the conflict resolution field." - Carrie Menkel-Meadow, UC Irvine School of Law, co-author of
Dispute Resolution: Beyond the Adversarial Model"Makes for fascinating reading, and teaches much about how to defuse and even mediate highly volatile, emotional encounters between long-standing cultural opponents." - Heidi Burgess, Co-Director, Beyond Intractability.org, co-author of
Encyclopedia of Conflict Resolution and Conducting Track II Peacemaking "
America's Peacemakers is an insightful book about the intricate complexities of our history and the lessons of conflict transformation that we can apply to the challenges of the present and future in order to sustain our messy, imperfect, and courageous union. Through deepening our understanding of multiple perspectives and the process of negotiation, we can challenge divisive definitions of patriotism, more consistently build justice, and grow greater compassion in our beloved nation." - Maya Soetoro-Ng, Faculty Specialist, Spark M. Matsunaga Institute for Peace & Conflict Resolution, University of Hawaii at Manoa
"(T)his book about the history of CRS is an essential historical reference to obtaining an accurate understanding of just how prescient President Johnson was in his requirement that CRS be a constituent part of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. We all owe a debt of gratitude to the authors and to the staff, both past and present, of the Community Relations Service." - Clarence Jones, Speechwriter and Lawyer to Martin Luther King Jr. (from the foreword)
"More than ever we need mediation, dialogue, and communication regarding our many racial and class conflicts. Every city, every state, and every nation needs non-violent mediators to intervene in the many crises that are inevitable in these complex times. In this book authors Bertram Levine and Grande Lum expertly provide the evidence for the difference CRS has made for communities throughout this country." - Andrew Young, Jr., civil rights activist and former U.S. Congressman from Georgia, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, and Mayor of Atlanta
