Student Reading List
Baldwin, James and William F. Buckley. Is the American Dream at the Expense of the American Negro? Debate at Cambridge University, England, 1965. Baldwin articulates the plight of African Americans eloquently in his debate with Buckley. This resource is helpful for a general overview of the types of inequality that persists in the United States.
Haley, Alex. “An Interview with Malcolm X” Playboy Magazine, May 1963. A great interview that takes readers into the mind of Malcolm X. Students can make use of this interview in the debate at the end of the unit.
Hannah-Jones, Nicole. “It Was Never About Busing” The New York Times, July 12, 2019. A timely article that discusses the failure of forced busing in the wake of Brown v. Board of Education and the nefarious roots of that opposition. A surefire discussion-starter that shows just how gradual racial progress has been in America.
Kennedy, John F. Radio and Television Address on Civil Rights. June 11, 1963. Kennedy’s address on civil rights set the stage for the ultimate passage of civil rights legislation the following year. A critical resource for beginning that conversation.
King, Martin Luther. I Have a Dream… August 28, 1963. One of the most famous speeches in American history, let alone the civil rights movement. This speech is symbolic of Martin King and black integrationist ideology.
King, Martin Luther. A Christmas Sermon on Peace. Ebenezer Baptist Church, Atlanta, GA., December 24, 1967. This speech exhibits Martin’s changing ideology, exhibiting his loss of hope in the premise of racial equality in the United States. A good resource to use when discussing the changing and converging ideologies of Martin and Malcolm.
Klarman, Michael J. Unfinished Business: Racial Equality in American History. Oxford University Press, 2007. I mention this book a second time in the Student Reading List because chapters nine and ten are great, concise descriptions of Brown v. Board of Education and the civil rights movement. An excellent resource to use for in-class readings.
Remnick, Noah. “The Civil Rights Act: What JFK, LBJ, Martin Luther King and Malcolm X Had to Say” The Los Angeles Times, June 28, 2014. Another useful resource for contextualizing the civil rights movement via the voices of the major players.
X, Malcolm. Message to the Grass Roots. November 10, 1963. Malcolm was heavily critical of the March on Washington in this speech. It gives readers good insight into Malcolm and black nationalist ideology, particularly the militant style that Malcolm often spoke of.
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