Coretta Scott King Book

An ideal Juneteenth read. Growing up in Texas, I learned about Juneteenth, and it's wonderful to see the holiday garnering national attention.

Civil Rights Chronicle focuses on the 20th century, with only brief forays into pre-20th century and post-20th century stories (it was published in 2003). It's an experience somewhat like being in a museum: there are lots of pictures (4+ on most pages) with very detailed captions, with a few breaks for longer essays and introductions to famous people. Fantastic to keep on hand as a reference for stories like that of the Little Rock Nine, it's a great tool for the visual learner to get a detailed yet broad overview of the civil rights movement.

Reading this in 2020 made me feel conflicted at the end. On the one hand, the book was published in 2003, and it included information up to 2002. On the other hand, so much has happened since this millennium began. Through no fault of the book itself, it feels truncated. It ended abruptly: there was no attempt to wrap things up with a bow or ring a hopeful chime. As a nation, we are still working on civil, equal rights for all.

I appreciated the Chronicle's tight focus on civil rights. As a historian, I tend to approach civil rights from the sidelines--from figures and movements on the outside, and how they intersected with civil rights. For example, while I'd have appreciated more information on women's suffrage, I understand why it was not included with any depth: it was a racist movement.* I paid special attention to the documentation about police responses to protests, and litigation surrounding lynching. While many of the pictures were graphic, I found none to be nightmare fuel. The most disturbing images, for me, were racist portrayals of black people in media and advertising. The curating seemed to be along the lines of a museum exhibit that did not contain warnings for young visitors.

Highly recommended for American coffee tables and bookshelves that are in need of a good pictorial reference work on civil rights. I borrowed this book but will be looking for my own copy.

*While I enjoy exercising my right to vote, I choose not to celebrate/observe anything related to the women's suffrage movement because of their intentional exclusion of black women (and men). It's not women's suffrage when it's only white women's suffrage. Plus, I find it a good personal policy to not honor anything endorsed by the KKK. While folks like Ida B. Wells-Barnett and others supported women's suffrage, Susan B. Anthony chose to distance black people from the movement and deny support to black chapters of National Woman Suffrage Association. While I appreciate the struggles many suffragettes endured to receive the right to vote, I condemn the racism that fought for white women's suffrage and not black women's suffrage.