Description
Book SynopsisWhat caused one of America''s most promising civil rights movements to implode on the eve of change? Knocking at Our Own Door chronicles the life of New York''s preeminent but little-studied integrationist, Milton A. Galamison, and his controversial struggle to improve the lives of the city''s most underprivileged children. This detailed account brings insight into the complexities of urban politics, race relations, and school reform.
Trade ReviewClarence Taylor is the most important historian of the most important institution among African-Americans: the church. In this, his latest book, he expertly and deftly tells the fascinating story of Rev. Milton A. Galamison and his struggle to desegregate the public schools of New York City. All interested in religion, education, and urban history must read this indispensable book. -- Gerald Horne, author of Fire This Time: The Watts Uprising and the 1960s
By turning our attention away from the Southern civil rights movement to the equally intense racial battles in the urban North, Clarence Taylor's moving history of the struggle to desegregate New York City's schools is a much-welcomed addition to the literature. With subtlety and sophistication, he succeeds in painting a complex portrait of Milton A. Galamison without diminishing his courage or ignoring his flaws. -- Robin D. G. Kelley, author of Freedom Dreams: The Black Radical Imagination
This book enriches our understanding of a key moment in the American civil rights movement—the struggle to desegregate the nation's largest school system. With clarity and detail, Taylor examines the social history and context behind this campaign, as well as the personal background and quest for a just society of one of its central figures, Milton A. Galamison, a major civil rights leader, and a respected champion of racial and economic justice. This thoughtful work is an important addition to the scholarship on civil rights and school integration. It contributes a great deal to the discourse on race and class in America. -- David N. Dinkins, former mayor of New York City
Table of ContentsChapter 1 Introduction Chapter 2 The Shaping of Milton Galamison Chapter 3 From Witherspoon to Siloam: The Making of a Militant Pastor Chapter 4 The NAACP Years Chapter 5 The Parents' Workshop for Equality in New York City Schools Chapter 6 The First City-Wide School Boycott Chapter 7 The Second School Boycott and the End of the Movement Chapter 8 The People's Board of Education, Ocean Hill-Brownsville, and the Last Hurrah Chapter 9 Conclusion Chapter 10 Superintendents During the School Integration Struggle
