This book is an important contribution to the history of White supremacy and the unremitting struggle against it in mid-twentieth century Texas [Civil Rights in Black and Brown] pulsates with energy and showcases exciting new scholarship from talented academics with varied perspectives...This book deserves a wide readership.
Southwestern Historical Quarterly
The oral historians on this project covered twenty urban and rural locations throughout Texas, and in doing so, have enriched the historical record in a way that should pay off for generations to come...this book is a praiseworthy testament to the power and usefulness of oral history, not only for the sake of new scholarship itself, but also to the communities served. Civil Rights in Black and Brown documents a model oral history project that many of us will benefit from for years to come.
Oral History Review
Contending with a racist political elite, police violence, and disenfranchisement, Black and Brown Texans struggled for decades to gain basic civil rights. Exploring the oft-overlooked history of these historic struggles is essential to paving a path forward for progressive politics in our era of right-wing reaction...In addition to addressing oft-overlooked battles in Texas, the authors of the essays [in Civil Rights in Black and Brown] also address another oversight in many histories of the era, putting the focus on the base rather than leadership.
Red Fault
Coalitional politics is a complicated and sometimes messy undertaking laden with varying degrees of rivalry, defensiveness, and hierarchy...This anthology steps into this turmoil, and this Chicano historian of Chicanx history is impressed...The [Civil Rights in Black and Brown Oral History Project] and this anthology are a veritable dream for anyone involved in public history, oral history, and the digital humanities...this excellent anthology joins a growing body of literature that examines such collaborations.
Journal of Southern History
Ultimately, Civil Rights in Black and Brown provides a valuable correction to stubbornly popular narratives that highlight racial tolerance and ignore social justice movements in Texas history. And while Texas is certainly not a microcosm (let alone the best) of America, as many of its residents too often suggest, this volume offers a signi?cant model on how to integrate oral history into our understanding of the US past, especially Black and Latino experiences in surviving and ?ghting systemic racism, then and now.
Journal of African American History