Dream and Legacy, Volume II: Revisiting King in the Post-Civil Rights Era

Contributions by Robert Adams Jr., Shenita Brazelton, Donathan L. Brown, Owen Brown Jr., LaTasha Chaffin, Michael L. Clemons, Daphne Cooper, William H. L. Dorsey, Bertis D. English, Precious D. Hall, Beverly Johnson, Maurice Mangum, Natasha Altema McNeely, Amardo Rodriguez, Randall Swain, Edward V. Wallace, Ingrid P. Whitaker, and Mark M. Whitaker

Beginning early in his career, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. recognized the moral and humanitarian need to pursue social justice and equity for marginalized Americans, those for whom the American dream had proven to be an elusive ideal. In Dream and Legacy, Volume II: Revisiting King in the Post-Civil Rights Era, contributors sift through the historical record, engaging one of America’s most consequential, radical historical traditions.

Despite robust reform efforts since the 1930s, a wide range of policy-related challenges plague the lives of African Americans, other persons of color, women, and the poor in the twenty-first century. This anthology, like the first from coeditors Michael L. Clemons, Donathan L. Brown, and William H. L. Dorsey, applies the ideology and activism of Dr. King to its analysis of contemporary sociopolitical issues in the United States and abroad. The project begins with a foreword that situates the subsequent essays within the context of contemporary social developments. Grouped into themed sections, the essays cover such topics as voting rights, public protest, police brutality, poverty and wage discrimination, healthcare, and more. The epilogue concludes with a discussion of the timeless impact of Dr. King’s philosophy and activism, as well as the implications of his work for the future of domestic and global leadership. Dream and Legacy, Volume II identifies a variety of practical lessons that can help resolve contemporary social problems.

Michael L. Clemons is professor of political science and African American studies at Old Dominion University and founding editor of the Journal of Race and Policy. He has published numerous articles and books focusing on related topics including the Civil Rights Movement, voting rights, social movements, and African American participation in the global arena. Donathan L. Brown is vice provost for faculty diversity, associate professor of communication studies, and former US Fulbright Scholar at Northeastern University. He has published several books and articles on issues pertaining to voting rights, immigration reform, and official language policy, among other areas. William H. L. Dorsey is professor emeritus of sociology and African American studies at Atlanta Metropolitan State College. He has served as associate director for the Journal of Race and Policy. Together, Clemons, Brown, and Dorsey are editors of the first volume of this work, Dream and Legacy: Dr. Martin Luther King in the Post-Civil Rights Era.