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sethdmichaels.bsky.social · @sethdmichaels.bsky.social@bridge.neodb.net

Rated A More Beautiful and Terrible History: The Uses and Misuses of Civil Rights History 10/10

An important book; an excellent and scathing look at the fable version of US civil rights history and a reality check about the real version - a story of radical vision, long-ranging organizing, incomplete victories, brutal nationwide opposition, youth mobilization, true disruption, and, critically, hope. An extension of Theoharis’ terrific Rosa Parks biography. If I had one critique it’s that it can be a little rhetorically repetitive, but the point is so vital that it’s worth restating: the civil rights movement is not an inevitable and complete victory by a few noble heroes, it’s an unfinished mass movement. Would love to see an update someday that adds a chapter on the George Floyd protests and the “anti-woke” racist backlash.

#book

Published 2026-08-18 14:43 UTC · bridged from Atmosphere