Stokely

December 23, 2013
This stunningly thorough appraisal of this radical activist, 50 years after the "heroic period" of the civil rights movement, is both timely and relevant. Excavating a multifaceted and constantly evolving political personality "poised between Malcolm's sword and Martin's shield," Tufts Univ. professor of history Joseph presents an analysis of Carmichael's lifelong international political career. Citing a wealth of primary material, especially speeches and essays, and with an eye for detail that uses specifics such as fashion choices to paint a nuanced image of his public persona, Joseph explores how Carmichael thought and how he was perceived in each moment of his philosophical evolution. He is particularly interested in restoring the memory of Carmichael as a master speaker, a "professorial rhetorician" and "public intellectual," in addition to the "symbol of defiance" that popularized Black Power. Amid Carmichael's career of public action, his personal life seems nearly nonexistent, referenced only rarely, in connection to his marriage to singer Miriam Makeba. Still, his personality remains in focus throughout, even among the panoramic wealth of contextual historical information, a quality that recalls his own "rock star" ability to command attention throughout his life. It's not casual armchair reading, but should surely be considered required material for a fuller understanding of a critical, and ongoing, American struggle.

March 15, 2014
Stokely Carmichael achieved iconic status during the turbulent 1960s with his call for black power. He was widely perceived as a strident counterpoint to the more diplomatic Martin Luther King Jr., the icon of the civil rights movement. But historian Joseph offers a more nuanced portrait of this activist, who started as a community organizer fighting for and with the underclass and who jolted the racist core of the American consciousness. He broadened the scope of his humanitarian concerns beyond the U.S. to develop a Pan-African perspective. He married South African singer Miriam Makeba and developed close friendships with African leaders Kwame Nkrumah and S'kou Tour', further provoking the suspicions of an already suspicious U.S. intelligence force. Like King, Carmichael became a critic of the Vietnam War, and following King's assassination the civil rights establishment distanced itself even more from Carmichael. Despite Carmichael's highly racialized rhetoric, his personal humanistic values suggested a closer link to American core values than many may have thought.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2014
Joseph (History/Tufts Univ.; Dark Days, Bright Nights: From Black Power to Barack Obama, 2010, etc.) introduces a Stokely Carmichael (1941-1998) few white people ever knew in the 1960s, a man who dared to speak truth to power. "Before leaving America," writes the author, "Stokely reigned as Black Power's glamorous enfant terrible: telegenic, brash, equal parts angry and gregarious...a 'hipster hero' whose easy grace allowed him to consort effortlessly with both the dignified and the damned." A brilliant student and forceful, persuasive speaker, Carmichael spent his college summers working to "change the world." He began working for civil rights as a student at historically black Howard University in Washington, D.C., in 1961 and never stopped. Close to Martin Luther King Jr. and many other significant civil rights leaders, he devoted himself to more than civil rights. He developed into a true idealist, seeking more than just voting rights; he wanted equality and not just for blacks. Carmichael knew that blacks were not the only suppressed group in America, and he welcomed whites and minorities of all kinds to work for self-determination. The author mentions that women were not a large part of the movement but goes on to name many, like Septima Clark--often considered the grandmother of the civil rights movement--whose influence was known only to insiders. Reform was never enough for Carmichael; he was fighting the systemic phenomenon of institutional racism. As he grew, he sought a radical democracy, rejecting communism and socialism since they only addressed class differences, not racism. This is a man who stood out in the civil rights movement, the man who defined Black Power and whose quest for Pan-African democracy led him to express radical ideas that successfully frightened the powers that be. Joseph showcases the brilliance of the man, his exceptional ideals and his pursuit of an equality that was years ahead of his time.

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