Reviews for Religious experience and ecological responsibility

The average rating for Religious experience and ecological responsibility based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2016-02-01 00:00:00 James Hayes In the rush to lionize departed heroes of any struggle, there are often those whose contributions are overlooked. Such has been the case with Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. While two generations of Americans have been inspired by the brilliance and grieved at the martyrdom of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X, Adam Clayton Powell may have been the single individual most responsible for much of the civil rights legislation that now impacts our lives. Wil Haygood has produced an impressive biography which thoroughly chronicles the history not only of one man but, in fact, a sizable portion of twentieth century American history. To say that Powell was brilliant and a charismatic leader does not begin to define the man whose life spanned the Harlem Renaissance, the civil rights movement and the Black Power Movement. That he was also flamboyant and often skated perilously close to the edge of ethics violations says less about the man than it does about the culture of political life at every level. In the final analysis, it is Powell's incredible effectiveness as a representative of his constituents that Haygood's biography underscores. Adam, Jr., was the grandson of a slave and the son of the pastor of the great Abyssinian Baptist Church of Harlem, a church whose pulpit he ascended at age twenty-nine. It was from that pulpit that he announced his vision for Harlem and from which he launched his political career. Educated at Colgate in upstate New York, he showed early promise as a "politician-in-training." Using his position in the Harlem community and his personal magnetism, he was elected a New York City councilman. His work behind-the-scenes was an essential element in the creation of the Harlem congressional district in 1941. In 1944, Powell was elected the first congressman from the district of Harlem, an office he held, almost unchallenged, for three decades. During his thirty-year political career, he supported, prodded and exasperated several presidents and his fellow congressmen with equal energy. As the chairman of the powerful Education and Labor Committee of the House under Lyndon Johnson, Powell was a driving force behind much of the legislation then known as the War on Poverty. It was not mere talent and charm that made him effective, he worked at it. Every year he traveled to Europe to participate in the World Parliamentarians for World Government, an organization that studies the most effective methods to get legislation passed. Powell served as vice president of the organization. Getting legislation passed was what Adam Clayton Powell did best - he had over four dozen bills to his credit. Among his successes was the Economic Opportunity Act creating the Office of Economic Opportunity, which developed a huge collection of programs, including Head Start, Upward Bound, the Job Corps, programs for women, children, Native Americans and dozens of others. His personal life was turbulent: his enormous charm and good looks made him irresistible to a great many women, three of whom he married. His second wife was the brilliant jazz musician, Hazel Scott. Haygood's biography pulls no punches reporting that aspect of Powell's life. It is hard for us to imagine, in this day of relentless media scrutiny, how a man could hold public office while leading such a tempestuous private life. And it was not Adam Powell's romantic involvements that finally brought him down. His troubles began with a tax indictment and a libel suit brought by a numbers-runner. Powell would not pay the money awarded in the suit brought by Esther James, a woman with a long history of involvement in criminal activities, because he knew - as did most of the police - that his accusations of her numbers-running were accurate. It was his refusal to pay that ultimately led to his losing his seat in Congress, a seat which he regained in a seven-to-one decision from the Supreme Court. Powell was ultimately beaten in an election and died in 1972 at the age of 63. He died on the fourth anniversary of the death of Martin Luther King, Jr., prompting comparisons between the two. Powell's life was seen by many to have been less admirable because of the openness of his moral shortcomings, but those who knew his legislative record saw him as a pivotal player in the civil rights movement and the political ferment of mid-twentieth century America. Haygood is an exemplary biographer, if a sometimes awkward writer. This book is thoroughly documented and provides a substantial bibliography. It might have been useful to have a listing of the legislation that Powell authored or was instrumental in getting passed. This biography may very well become an important part of the core resources for students of American history, but it is also fine entertainment for those of us who enjoy a good, meaty story of an impressive man's life.

Review # 2 was written on 2019-01-05 00:00:00 Shane Caporaso This is kind of a weak four stars. It's surprising that there have not been more biographies written on the eventful life if Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Haywood writes a rather admiring version, which is helpful in explaining what the powerful politician meant to his constituents in Harlem. It is a remarkable, colorful story of a larger than life figure. Powell was vilified in his later career, including an ouster from the House of Representatives which flew in the face of his overwhelming election victory. (He was reinstated by means of a Supreme Court decision). The negative publicity overshadowed his remarkable accomplishments on behalf of his people. It's a story of power, greed, threats, deals, race, sex and money and a figure of outsized charisma. Haygood's story could benefit from tighter editing. For example, he writes that the Fifteenth Amendment gave the vote to black men and women. Women of any race were not enfranchised for decades to come. He does not address where the money financing his international high lifestyle came from. The complex cast of characters in New York politics could have been identified more carefully. Nevertheless, it is quite a story and a life worth recounting. Powell was the grandson of a slave, and he rose to be the most powerful African American of his time. I do not think that this will be the definitive biography.