Peniel E Joseph

From slavery through the election of Vice President Kamala Harris, here is the history of Black America told through striking photographs and compelling narrative that captures many of the key joys, struggles and milestones. Learn about the first Black Americans and the origins of slavery, including Harriet Tubman, Nat Turner's Rebellion, Frederick Douglas and the Civil War. Explore the long fight for freedom through Jim Crow, W. E. Dubois, the Tulsa Massacre and the rise of MLK, Malcolm X and the Black Panther Movement. Discover the joys of the Harlem Renaissance, Jimi Hendrix at Woodstock and the rise of Hip Hop. And find out the story behind Muhammad Ali's Rumble in the Jungle, the desegregation of professional sports, and how black sports stars from Hank Aaron to Lebron James have fought to make their voices heard.

In The Third Reconstruction, distinguished historian Peniel E. Joseph offers a powerful and personal new interpretation of recent history. The racial reckoning that unfolded in 2020, he argues, marked the climax of a Third Reconstruction: a new struggle for citizenship and dignity for Black Americans, just as momentous as the movements that arose after the Civil War and during the civil rights era. Joseph draws revealing connections and insights across centuries as he traces this Third Reconstruction from the election of Barack Obama to the rise of Black Lives Matter to the failed assault on the Capitol. America's first and second Reconstructions fell tragically short of their grand aims. Our Third Reconstruction offers a new chance to achieve Black dignity and citizenship at last-an opportunity to choose hope over fear.