The Economic Civil Rights Movement: African Americans and the Struggle for Economic Power

Some books have linked economic developments to the civil rights movement, but none has taken the position that the movement was primarily an economic one. The Economic Civil Rights Movementdoes not deny that the movement was largely cultural and political, but it also responds to the lack of treatment that economic factors have received within civil rights scholarship. By highlighting the economic actions taken by civil rights leaders and organizations, this book helps to set the stage for narratives that recast the movement's cultural and political significance. This collection posits that financial considerations were an important driving force behind the movement's strategic initiatives. It argues that the movement's economic aspects belong alongside its political and cultural impact at the narrative center of civil rights scholarship. The essays in this collection cover time periods far beyond the traditional King Years, investigating not only the precursors to the movement but also its results. The book presents to readers the thesis that the civil rights movement and its outcomes have always been intertwined with and informed by their economic aspects. In doing so, The Economic Civil Rights Movementushers in an important shift in civil rights scholarship.