Black Power Encyclopedia

November 1, 2018

Umoja (African American studies, Georgia State Univ.), Karin L. Stanford (political science & Africana studies, California State Univ., Northridge), and historian Jasmin A. Young detail the origins, major players, ideologies, themes, and legacy of the 1960s and 1970s Black Power movement in the United States, and emphasize how it still influences modern-day African American social, political, and cultural life. This authoritative, engaging encyclopedia opens with five overview essays that deftly lay out key elements such as the role of women in the black freedom struggle as well as differences in approaches between the movement's leaders and those of the more mainstream civil rights struggle. In addition to entries on topics such as Malcolm X, black bookstores, and police brutality, the work includes excerpts from interviews, government agency documents, speeches, and letters. Among the contributors are academics, scholars, students, and participants in the movement. The lengthy chronology and comprehensive further reading resources in the essay on Black Power studies are particularly impressive. VERDICT This outstanding portrait of a fascinating and influential chapter of American life is indispensable for any library serving those interested in African American studies, cultural studies, and race relations.--Rob Tench, Old Dominion Univ. Libs., Norfolk, VA

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from November 1, 2018
Umoja, Stanford, and Young, all prominent Africana-studies scholars, gathered a wide range of contributors for the latest title in ABC-CLIO's Movements of the American Mosaic series (after The Civil Rights Movement in America?, 2015), bringing a balance of academic expertise and community activism to the clearly written, well-documented essays on people, places, and events in the Black Power movement. Examples of the work's comprehensiveness are shown in entries that examine the cultural strands from which the movement developed and the critical role of Elaine Brown in the growth of the Black Panther Party, and the work's objectivity is clear in describing the shaping of the political and cultural US organization by Maulana Karenga and the 1978 raid of the MOVE organization in Philadelphia. Historical perspective, updated information, cross-references, and suggestions for further reading make the work valuable both for contemporary understanding and for providing a pathway to additional political and cultural research on the movement. Overview essays and an accurate, detailed index further the reference value. An excellent choice for high-school, college, and public libraries.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)