Description
Book SynopsisTheodore D. Segal narrates the fraught and contested fight for racial justice at Duke University—which accepted its first black undergraduates in 1963—to tell both a local and national story about the challenges that historically white colleges and universities throughout the country continue to face.
Trade Review“
Point of Reckoning is a remarkable and unforgettable story that traces the white racial foundations of Duke University while uncovering how whiteness actively resists change in the face of Black dehumanization. Segal renders the unremarkable existence of racism remarkable and painfully reveals what happens to a dream deferred—it explodes. As we currently bear witness to Black suffering and inequity, righteous indignation and Black protests near and far,
Point of Reckoning is an urgent text that offers hope as it dares to illuminate the past in order that we might not be
condemned to repeat it.” -- George Yancy, Samuel Candler Dobbs Professor of Philosophy at Emory University
“In vivid detail, Theodore D. Segal introduces us to men and women, Black and white, who tried to differentiate between integration and desegregation, between being welcomed and included and remaining true to themselves as Black Americans and becoming darker versions of white Americans. As Segal uncovers, not only did the actors have conflicting notions of what was at stake, but they often differed on what was desired. In that sense, he exposes the long history of today's raging debates on campus about race and diversity.” -- Professor Earl Lewis, Director and Founder of the Center for Social Solutions, University of Michigan
"[A] doggedly researched narrative . . . [providing] a candid view of institutional resistance to social justice and its dismantling by determined activism.” * Kirkus Reviews *
"Excellent, accessible. . . ." -- Mark I. Pinsky * New York Journal of Books *
"A methodological strength of
Point of Reckoning is how Segal grounds the narrative almost entirely in oral history, which helps provide a broad, accessible, and well-balanced perspective. . . . This book will be required reading for all of the university’s constituents as a common reference point for continuing to move the university forward according to its stated values." -- Brandon K. Winford * Black Perspectives *
"A useful volume for any library supporting graduate study in the management and history of higher education. Recommended. Graduate students, faculty, and professionals." * Choice *
“
Point of Reckoning makes clear that race and racial issues have been a central conflict at Duke since its inception. . . . Individuals who are interested in higher education, race and education, civil rights, social movements, and Black history will greatly benefit from a careful reading of
Point of Reckoning.” -- Brian Daugherity * Journal of Southern History *
Table of ContentsList of Abbreviations xi
List of Key Actors xiii
Acknowledgments xv
Introduction: A Historic Encounter 1
1. A Plantation System: Desegregation 5
2. Like Bare Skin and Putting Salt on It: First Encounters 32
3. Rights, as Opposed to Privileges: Race and Space 60
4. We Were Their Sons and Daughters: Occupation of University House 102
5. Hope Takes Its Last Stand: The Silent Vigil 125
6. Humiliating to Plead for Our Humanity: Negotiations 160
7. Now They Know, and They Ain't Gonna Do: Planning 182
8. No Option to Negotiate: Confrontation 208
9. We Shall Have Cocktails in the Gloaming: Aftermath 242
Epilogue: Something Has to Change—2019, Fifty Years Later 276
Notes 287
Bibliography 347
Index 357
