Half a century after the launch of the War on Poverty; its complex origins remain obscure. Battle for Bed-Stuy reinterprets President Lyndon Johnson’s much-debated crusade from the perspective of its foot soldiers in New York City; showing how 1960s antipoverty programs were rooted in a rich local tradition of grassroots activism and policy experiments.Bedford-Stuyvesant; a Brooklyn neighborhood housing 400;000 mostly black; mostly poor residents; was often labeled “America’s largest ghetto.†But in its elegant brownstones lived a coterie of home-owning professionals who campaigned to stem disorder and unify the community. Acting as brokers between politicians and the street; Bed-Stuy’s black middle class worked with city officials in the 1950s and 1960s to craft innovative responses to youth crime; physical decay; and capital flight. These partnerships laid the groundwork for the federal Community Action Program; the controversial centerpiece of the War on Poverty. Later; Bed-Stuy activists teamed with Senator Robert Kennedy to create America’s first Community Development Corporation; which pursued housing renewal and business investment.Bed-Stuy’s antipoverty initiatives brought hope amid dark days; reinforced the social safety net; and democratized urban politics by fostering citizen participation in government. They also empowered women like Elsie Richardson and Shirley Chisholm; who translated their experience as community organizers into leadership positions. Yet; as Michael Woodsworth reveals; these new forms of black political power; though exercised in the name of poor people; often did more to benefit middle-class homeowners. Bed-Stuy today; shaped by gentrification and displacement; reflects the paradoxical legacies of midcentury reform.
#146998 in Books Ingramcontent 2015-09-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.50 x 1.10 x 5.80l; .0 #File Name: 0674368223336 pagesAfter Nature A Politics for the Anthropocene
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. The book is a very good overview of how the notion of "nature" has evolved ...By Thomas O'BrienThe book is a very good overview of how the notion of "nature" has evolved over the centuries in the U.S. The book does a good job of connecting historical events to the philosophies of different eras that viewed the natural world in distinct and sometimes contradictory ways. This gives the reader background in how many of our attitudes and law evolved out of deeper convictions about the value the culture placed on the non-human environment.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy fred springera must read -- intelligent and really well written - puts things together in a really useful way.1 of 2 people found the following review helpful. His writing isn't like Michael PollenBy the critAfter Nature was highlighted on Art Forum's Booklist recently. Ecology; Economics; and Politics are discussed in a way that is accessible to both (man made) climate warming acceptors and deniers. ( My stepfather is a man made climate change denier; but this text offers up arguments that even he has made for a change in creating a healthy environment. ) Why we have belief systems that we have are covered; what has worked in the environmental movements of past; and what are directions to embrace for the future are all discussed by Purdy. His writing isn't like Michael Pollen; but there is a resemblance that I really enjoy.A good follow up to Naomi Klein's Capitalism vs the Climate.
