Building a Latino Civil Rights Movement

Puerto Ricans, African Americans, and the Pursuit of Racial Justice in New York City

By Sonia Song-Ha Lee | Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press

About the book

In the first book-length history of Puerto Rican civil rights in New York City, Sonia Lee traces the rise and fall of an uneasy coalition between Puerto Rican and African American activists from the 1950s through the 1970s. Previous work has tended to see blacks and Latinos as either naturally unified as “people of color” or irreconcilably at odds as two competing minorities. Lee demonstrates instead that Puerto Ricans and African Americans in New York City shaped the complex and shifting meanings of “Puerto Rican–ness” and “blackness” through political activism. African American and Puerto Rican New Yorkers came to see themselves as minorities joined in the civil rights struggle, the War on Poverty, and the Black Power movement — until white backlash and internal class divisions helped break the coalition, remaking “Hispanicity” as an ethnic identity that was mutually exclusive from “blackness.”

Drawing on extensive archival research and oral history interviews, Lee vividly portrays this crucial chapter in postwar New York, revealing the permeability of boundaries between African American and Puerto Rican communities.

Editions of Building a Latino Civil Rights Movement

Hardcover
ISBN 9781469614137
Paperback
ISBN 9781469629803
EBook
ISBN 9781469615547
EBook
ISBN 9781469614144
EBook
ISBN 9798890843005
PDF
ISBN 9798890842992

Read an Excerpt

In the first book-length history of Puerto Rican civil rights in New York City, Sonia Lee traces the rise and fall of an uneasy coalition between Puerto Rican and African American activists from the 1950s through the 1970s. Previous work has tended to see blacks and Latinos as either naturally unified as “people of color” or irreconcilably at odds as two competing minorities. Lee demonstrates instead that Puerto Ricans and African Americans in New York City shaped the complex and shifting meanings of “Puerto Rican–ness” and “blackness” through political activism. African American and Puerto Rican New Yorkers came to see themselves as minorities joined in the civil rights struggle, the War on Poverty, and the Black Power movement — until white backlash and internal class divisions helped break the coalition, remaking “Hispanicity” as an ethnic identity that was mutually exclusive from “blackness.”

Drawing on extensive archival research and oral history interviews, Lee vividly portrays this crucial chapter in postwar New York, revealing the permeability of boundaries between African American and Puerto Rican communities.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Building a Latino Civil Rights Movement about?

In the first book-length history of Puerto Rican civil rights in New York City, Sonia Lee traces the rise and fall of an uneasy coalition between Puerto Rican and African American activists from the 1950s through the 1970s. Previous work has tended to see blacks and Latinos as either naturally unified as “people of color” or irreconcilably at odds as two competing minorities. Lee demonstrates instead that Puerto Ricans and African Americans in New York City shaped the complex and shifting meanings of “Puerto Rican–ness” and “blackness” through political activism. African American and Puerto Rican New Yorkers came to see themselves as minorities joined in the civil rights struggle, the War on Poverty, and the Black Power movement — until white backlash and internal class divisions helped break the coalition, remaking “Hispanicity” as an ethnic identity that was mutually exclusive from “blackness.”

Drawing on extensive archival research and oral history interviews, Lee vividly portrays this crucial chapter in postwar New York, revealing the permeability of boundaries between African American and Puerto Rican communities.

What core themes, tropes, or subjects are explored in Building a Latino Civil Rights Movement?

Society and Social Sciences > Society and culture: general > Social groups, communities and identities > Ethnic studies / Ethnicity

Where can I read a sample of Building a Latino Civil Rights Movement?

You can read an official preview of the few pages here https://www.book2look.com/book/9781469614137

How long is Building a Latino Civil Rights Movement and how many pages does it have?

Building a Latino Civil Rights Movement has 352 page(s)

Is Building a Latino Civil Rights Movement part of a series, and can it be read as a standalone?

Yes it is a part of series Justice, Power, and Politics

Who is/are the Author/s of the book Building a Latino Civil Rights Movement?

Sonia Song-Ha Lee

Who is the Publisher of the book Building a Latino Civil Rights Movement?

The University of North Carolina Press

What are the ISBN numbers for the physical and digital editions?

Building a Latino Civil Rights Movement is available as hardcover(ISBN 9781469614137) and paperback(ISBN 9781469629803) and ebook(ISBN 9781469615547) and ebook(ISBN 9781469614144) and ebook(ISBN 9798890843005) and pdf(ISBN 9798890842992)

Where can I buy Building a Latino Civil Rights Movement online or support local independent bookshops?

You can buy Building a Latino Civil Rights Movement from below

Where can I buy Building a Latino Civil Rights Movement?