By Peter Dreier In 1960, Chester Hartman, then a graduate student in city planning at Harvard, received a notice from his draft board informing him that he had lost his student deferment and was reclassified 1-A. Rather than get drafted (the United States was calling up troops because of the Berlin crisis), Chester enlisted in the Army Reserve, which required an initial six … [Read more...] about A Mensch with a Mission: Chester Hartman (1936-2023)
Civil Rights History
“It’s Time to Listen” PRRAC Documentary Short
On April 7, 2018, the Poverty & Race Research Action Council returned to Hattiesburg, Mississippi to premiere "It's Time to Listen," a documentary short. "It's Time to Listen" traces the history of school segregation and resegregation in Hattiesburg, one of our Truth, Reconciliation, and Racial Healing partner locations. Immediately following the film premiere, there was a … [Read more...] about “It’s Time to Listen” PRRAC Documentary Short
“Neighborhood Schools – an Etymology” by Michael Hilton (November-December 2015 Issue)
By Michael Hilton (Click here to view the entire P&R issue) The term “neighborhood schools” has a long history in struggles over school integration, often used as a rallying cry by enclaves of well-resourced, usually white citizens to protect the uniform character of their schools and combat desegregation (Hannah-Jones, 2014; Williams, 2015). Following the 1954 Brown … [Read more...] about “Neighborhood Schools – an Etymology” by Michael Hilton (November-December 2015 Issue)
“The Making of Ferguson” by Richard Rothstein (November-December 2014 P&R Issue)
By Richard Rothstein (Click here to view the entire P&R issue) It is a familiar story. Police viciously assault or kill an unarmed African American man or boy. The black community rises up in protest, often in violent riots. Among many others, it is a 1919 story (Chicago), a 1943 story (Detroit, Harlem), a 1967 story (Newark and over a hundred more), a 1992 story (Los … [Read more...] about “The Making of Ferguson” by Richard Rothstein (November-December 2014 P&R Issue)
50th Anniversary Commemoration of the March on Washington
This summer, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change (King Center), the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), the National Action Network (NAN), and other major civil rights groups will join forces to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington (August 28, 1963). The official celebration begins on Saturday, August 24th with a … [Read more...] about 50th Anniversary Commemoration of the March on Washington
