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Coming Spring 2019 from University Press of Kansas:
A Terrible Thing to Waste: Arthur Fletcher and the Conundrum of the Black Republican
Arthur Fletcher (1924-2005) was the most important civil rights leader you've (probably) never heard of. The first Black player for the Baltimore Colts, the father of affirmative action and adviser to four presidents, he coined the United Negro College Fund's motto: "A Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Waste." Modern readers might be surprised to learn that Fletcher was also a Republican. Fletcher's story, told in full for the first time in this book, embodies the conundrum of the post-World War II Black Republican—the civil rights leader who remained loyal to the party even as it abandoned the principles he espoused.
The upward arc of Fletcher's political narrative begins with his first youthful protest—a boycott of his high school yearbook—and culminates with his appointment as Assistant Secretary of Labor under Richard Nixon. The Republican Party he embraced after returning from the war was "the Party of Lincoln"—a big tent, truly welcoming African-Americans. A Terrible Thing to Waste shows us those heady days, from Brown v. The Board of Education to Fletcher's implementing of the "Philadelphia Plan," the first major national affirmative action initiative. Though successes and accomplishments followed through successive Republican administrations—as chair of the U. S. Commission on Civil Rights under George H. W. Bush, e.g.—Fletcher's ability to promote civil rights policy eroded along with the GOP's engagement, as New Movement Conservatism and Nixon's Southern Strategy steadily alienated Black voters. The book follows Fletcher to the bitter end, his ideals and party in direct conflict and his signature achievement under threat.
In telling Fletcher's story, A Terrible Thing to Waste brings to light a little known chapter in the history of the civil rights movement—and with it, insights especially timely for a nation so dramatically divided over issues of race and party.
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Published March 2011 by University Press of Kentucky:
Constructing Affirmative Action: The Struggle for Equal Employment Opportunity
Between 1965, when President Lyndon B. Johnson defined affirmative action as a legitimate federal goal, and 1972, when President Richard M. Nixon named one of affirmative action's chief antagonists the head of the Department of Labor, government officials at all levels addressed racial economic inequality in earnest. Providing members of historically disadvantaged groups an equal chance at obtaining limited and competitive positions, affirmative action had the potential to alienate large numbers of... Read More. |
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HIST 1110: The United States to 1865
Tuesdays, 11:00-12:15, rm. F1622; Thursdays, 11:00-12:15, rm. C3380
Provides a historical examination of the United States from the founding of the colonies through Reconstruction with special emphasis on connections between historical transformations and issues of race, class, gender, religion, nation-building, economic development and modernization, and the sectional conflict. This is a required course for first-year students in the Civic Engagement Cohort and history majors, fills a requirement for Elementary Education and Early Childhood Education majors, and meets a GenEd requirement. Visit the online syllabus now.
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HIST 4910: Senior Capstone I
Dates and Times TBD
Focuses on conducting extensive research in primary and secondary sources preparatory to writing and presenting a substantive history-based paper or internship report. First half of the six-credit senior capstone experience. Must be taken in the senior/final year of the degree or by permission of the instructor. |
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In the News
7/2/18: Experts see Potential for Weaker Unions after....
6/2/18: Civil rights milestone or political theater?
2/21/18: Southland Residents Join Big Crowds....
2/6/18: David Hamilton Golland answers: "Why Vote?"
11/6/17: University Examines Rise of Hate Speech
9/8/17: How Hope Works in the Black Community....
5/19/17: Doctoral Hooding Celebrates Future Leaders
1/19/17: David Hamilton Golland
1/13/17: Obama as symbol of hope, possibility....
12/23/16: 75 years later, residents share memories....
2/12/14: If history teachers could time travel...
6/16/04: Torture, Then and Now
On the Road
October 6-7, 2018: Association for the Study of African American Life and History, Indianapolis, IN
June 25, 2019: Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY
At the Blog
9/22/18: What Is the University Faculty Senate?
The University Faculty Senate is the senior shared governance organization on campus. It supports and serves the university. It is the highest expression of the faculty role in university leadership in our capacity as academic citizens and institutional stewards. Because the Senate is a university-wide body, members participate in discussions and....
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From the Peers
Rubio on Golland, American Historical Review
Anderson on Golland, Journal of American History
Delton on Golland, Labor History
On the Wall
2014 Governors State University Research Grant
2013 Governors State University Research Grant
2011 Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics Travel Grant
2011 Gerald R. Ford Pres. Foundation Travel Grant
2007 National Society of Colonial Dames Fellowship
2007 Thomas W. Smith Graduate Scholarship
2007 Lyndon Baines Johnson Foundation Travel Grant
2002 Starr Foundation Grant
2000 Arnold Picker Endowed Fund
2000 Edwin and Barbara Kanner Award
2000 Thomas W. Smith Academic Fellowship
1999 Solomon Toubin Memorial Award
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