University of California Press
King and the Other America: The Poor People's Campaign and the Quest for Economic Equality
Key Metrics
- Sylvie Laurent
- University of California Press
- Hardcover
- 9780520288560
- 9.1 X 6.1 X 1.2 inches
- 1.4 pounds
- History > United States - 20th Century
- English
Secure TransactionBook Description
A meticulously researched look into the development of King's thought. . . . Laurent's important new book highlights the depth of the wisdom and organizing skill he brought to the movement for economic justice.--The Progressive
Shortly before his assassination, Martin Luther King Jr. called for a radical redistribution of economic and political power to transform the whole of society. In 1967, he envisioned and designed the Poor People's Campaign, an interracial effort that was carried out after his death. This campaign brought together impoverished Americans of all races to demand better wages, better jobs, better homes, and better education. King and the Other America explores this overlooked and obscured episode of the late civil rights movement, deepening our understanding of King's commitment to social justice and also of the long-term trajectory of the civil rights movement.
Digging into earlier radical arguments about economic inequality across America, which King drew on throughout his entire political and religious life, Sylvie Laurent argues that the Poor People's Campaign was the logical culmination of King's influences and ideas, which have had lasting impact on young activists and the public. Fifty years later, growing inequality and grinding poverty in the United States have spurred new efforts to rejuvenate the campaign. This book draws the connections between King's perceptive thoughts on substantive justice and the ongoing quest for equality for all.
Author Bio
Sylvie Laurent teaches American studies at Sciences Po in Paris and is the author of King and the Other America: The Poor People’s Campaign and the Quest for Economic Equality.
Education
- Phd in American literature (University Paris IV-Sorbonne), « From the ‘Poor White’ to the ‘Poor White Trash’ in the American novel from 1920 », Advisor: Pierre-Yves Pétillon (Ecole normal supérieure) ; Jury : Michel Bandry, Jacques Pothier, François Weil, Monica Michlin. Very honorable.
Qualified for University Assistant professorship (Conseil national des universities, section 11);
- 2004 Graduate degree in American studies, Sciences-po (very honorable).
- 2003 Graduate degree (DEA) in Anglophone studies, University Paris IVSorbonne, (very honorable) (advisor: Pr. Sophie Body-Gendrot).
- 2002 Master degree in modern literature, University Paris IV-Sorbonne, (honorable).
- 1998 Agrégation in History.
- 1996 Master degree in modern History, University Paris IV-Sorbonne, (very honorable).
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