In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

Foreword Sometimes you have to wonder about our ancestors. Packed tightly in a cold, damp ship with people they are not sure are human. Those wonderful brave Africans had to find a way to maintain themselves, their dignity, their integrity . They had to find a way to remember. James Baldwin once said, “It’s not that so few come out of the Ghetto but that so many do.” It had to be the voice, that voice in the back of their heads that kept saying, “Keep your eyes on the prize . . . hold on.” We know they sang a work song in a rhythm to make the work go more smoothly. We know they sang a praise song to let their God know he was not forgotten. They sang a boogie because joy should never be denied. And they confounded their captors by the pride they took in themselves and their work. We know they had a dream. of freedom of a better life for their children of a better day coming of an education that would make them equal. We know they did not shirk from the harshness. They never asked the mountain to move; they sought the strength to climb. And through the generations, black resiliency began to be mistaken for black complacency. The bigots and white supremacists wanted to think blacks were happy with their lot. Then came Emmett Till, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., Daisy Bates, the Greensboro sit-ins. And, to quote James Baldwin again, “Our dungeon shook.” The students spoke. They had a voice. And this time, compromise was not possible. America had to change. xii the education of a black radical The Education of a Black Radical by D’Army Bailey gives fresh insight into the young men of the 1960s. We all know their actions, but now we have a voice to enlighten those actions, a strong, uncompromising voice that still dreams of a better America. Judge Bailey has experienced the ugliness of both racism and fear. Yet he has not stepped back. What a wonderful life to share. Of course, we know that if this were Freddie XX or Rocky 253, there would be a big book auction of the movie rights, star-studied premieres, television and radio coverage everywhere. But this is just the beautiful, loving story of a young man who wanted to right some ancient wrongs. This is a fire to hold in your hands to warm the heart and the soul. It is a book to educate us, another lonely voice from the great era of American history—the civil rights era. This was the best of us, neighbors. This was our shining moment. Nikki Giovanni ...

Share