Description
Book SynopsisTrade ReviewWinner of the 2017 Crader Family Book Prize in American Values, Crader Family Endowment at Southeast Missouri State University "[B]lack Republicans are perceived to be the token black person in a group of Republicans, and the token Republican in a group of black people. This sense of isolation has shaped the black Republican experience for decades. Their plight is chronicled exceptionally well in The Loneliness of the Black Republican by Harvard Kennedy School professor Leah Wright Rigueur. Her thorough examination traces the winding journey of black Republicans from the inception of the New Deal to the election of Ronald Reagan."--Theodore R. Johnson, The Atlantic "The Loneliness of the Black Republican is meticulous, well-crafted, and consistently astute about the fractious recent history of the Grand Old Party."--Artur Davis, Weekly Standard "Leah Wright Rigueur's book, The Loneliness of the Black Republican, provides an intellectual and thought-provoking voice to this intriguing debate... [H]er well-researched work is evenhanded--and, at times, sympathetic. In many ways, it's the most significant book ever written about the collapse of black support in the Republican party."--Michael Taube, Washington Times "This book adds much needed depth to the understanding of the diversity of black politics during these years (1930s to 1980)."--Choice "Meticulously researched ... Rigueur ... gives us one of the first attempts at understanding who black Republicans were, the values they held, and how they engaged in party politics."--James Wolfinger, Journal of American History "Rigueur provides a powerful addition to wider scholarship on black political behavior."--Corey D. Fields, Political Science Quarterly "There is much to be admired in Leah Wright Rigueur's groundbreaking work and her bravery in tackling a topic that has been dismissed as insignificant by historians for decades."--Joshua Farrington, H-Net Reviews
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments ix A Brief Note on Sources xv Abbreviations xvii Introduction: The Paradox of the Black Republican 1 1. Running with Hares and Hunting with Hounds 13 2. A Thorn in the Flesh of the GOP 52 3. The Challenge of Change 95 Illustration section follows page 135 4. Richard Nixon's Black Cabinet 136 5. Exorcising the Ghost of Richard Nixon 177 6. More Shadow than Substance 220 7. The Time of the Black Elephant 261 Conclusion: No Room at the Inn 302 Appendix 311 Notes 315 Index 383
