The Crisis of Color and Democracy: Essays on Race, Class, and Power

by Manning Marable

Author Manning Marable making a passionate argument for a multicultural democracy based on the empowerment of African-Americans, Latins, gays, lesbians and all women, the poor and oppressed. Published by Common Courage Press, 1992.

262 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1991

About the author

Manning Marable was an American professor of public affairs, history and African-American Studies at Columbia University. He founded and directed the Institute for Research in African-American Studies. He authored several texts and was active in progressive political causes. At the time of his death, he had completed a biography of human rights activist Malcolm X, entitled Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention.

Reviews

[Jake · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of Marable’s short essays and opinion pieces, written in the late 80s-early 90s. The pieces all hold up well and seem especially timely, given the parallels between the Jackson campaign he writes about here and the Bernie campaign today, or the role of conservative black intellectuals in relation to the black liberation struggle. Unfortunately we don’t seem much closer to forging that multiracial working class coalition Marable was advocating 30 years ago, but perhaps this book can help us think about how to proceed doing so.