From the time of its emergence in the United States in 1852; the Young Men's Christian Association excluded blacks from membership in white branches but encouraged them to form their own associations and to join the Christian brotherhood on "separate but equal" terms. Nina Mjagkij's book; the first comprehensive study of African Americans in the YMCA; is a compelling account of hope and success in the face of adversity. African American men; faced with emasculation through lynchings; disenfranchisement; race riots; and Jim Crow laws; hoped that separate YMCAs would provide the opportunity to exercise their manhood and joined in large numbers; particularly members of the educated elite. Although separate black YMCAs were the product of discrimination and segregation; to African Americans they symbolized the power of racial solidarity; representing a "light in the darkness" of racism. By the early twentieth century there existed a network of black-controlled associations that increasingly challenged the YMCA to end segregation. But not until World War II did the organization; in response to growing protest; pass a resolution urging white associations to end Jim Crowism. From previously untapped sources; Nina Mjagkij traces the YMCA's changing racial policies and practices and examines the evolution of African American associations and their leadership from slavery to desegregation. Here is a vivid and moving portrayal of African Americans struggling to build black-controlled institutions in their search for cultural self-determination. Light in the Darkness uncovers an important aspect of the struggle for racial advancement and makes a significant contribution to our understanding of theAfrican American experience.
#2200286 in Books 2012-03-18Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.25 x .84 x 6.13l; 1.25 #File Name: 0813037662328 pages
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Man of the MatchBy Christian PotholmAn extremely valuable look at the rise of Islam through the generalship of Muhammad. A stunning story; well told. Asserts that Muhammad's declaration that only Allah was to be worshiped was truly revolutionary; asking individuals to give up idols and family/clan loyalties for a new monotheism. He also points out how small was the percentage of Muslims even in Medina in the beginning and how narrow were the margins of victory at Badr (623) and The Trench (627) and the margin of defeat at Uhud (624). There is a fascinating chart on page 160 showing the growth in the use of horses in force projection (as opposed to camels) and their role in the expansion of the Muslim world; from 2 horses at Badr to 10;000 at Tabuk (630). Muslim "light horse" was to then the rule vast stretches of the Middle East and North Africa. Overall; Muhammad won three major battles and five sieges; losing one battle (Uhud) and failing at one siege (al-Ta'if). Rodgers also asserts that "Muhammad's campaigns came with a hefty price tag; much greater than many would assess today." But; says the author; "In this way; despite any weakness exhibited; Muhammad fulfilled the most critical dictum of warfare: he compelled his enemies to do his will." This is a most useful book for anyone seeking to understand the military rise of Islam.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Detailed; but not an easy read.By Terry TuckerThis is a good book; packed with detail and insights; however; it is not an easy read and might be more appropriate for the academic.2 of 6 people found the following review helpful. Muhammad's Islamist Military CampaignsBy William Garrison Jr."The Generalship of Muhammad: Battles and Campaigns of the Prophet of Allah" by Russ Rodgers (March 2012). I HIGHLY recommend this book! The author has done a most commendable job of researching through the ahadith; al-Coran; and various sunnah collections in plotting out the military battles; raids and campaigns of the founder of Islam: Muhammad (al-insan al-kamil). The author presents an analysis of the military `generalship' of Muhammad as to not only HOW he arranged his troop maneuvers; but also reviews the political reasoning behind the WHY of Muhammad's decision to raid some caravan or attack some Jewish settlement. The author conveniently presents several time-charts of the various battles. As the author noted; the different sunnah collectors present conflicting dates and battle-development reasoning; he examines these differences and tries to present the most logical reality. The author presents his beliefs as to why Muhammad developed such animosity to the various Jewish tribes that opposed his heretical recounting of Judaism. [Regarding the book's `Glossary'; it would have been helpful if the author would have indicated the language of the various non-English words that he used. Seemingly; everything that is italicized indicates an Arabic word. However; `lex talionis' is Latin; and `razzia' is French for the Algerian-Arabic word 'ghazya' (military raid); which itself is a variant of the original Arabic word `ghazwah; etc.] "Jihad" is defined as: "To engage in a form of struggle; often equated with physical combat in early Islamic sources." Okay; let's toss in some other jihad definitions that the author overlooked: Jihad al-akbar; Jiahd al-asghar; Jihad al-dafah/difa; Jihad al-Islami; Jihad kabeer; Jihad al-kitab: Jihad al-Kuffar wal-Munafiqin; Jihad al-mubadaha; Jihad al-muqaddas; Jihad al-nafs; Jihad al-sayf: Jihad al-talab wa al-ibtida; Jihad Arababiadh-dhulm wal-bidu `wal-munkarat; Jihad ash-Shaitan; Jihad bi-lisan; Jihad bil-nafs; Jihad al-mal; jihad fi sabil Allah; yuqatiluna fi-sabil Allah ; jihad bil-saif/sayf; jihad al-talab: Jihad al-Ziwaj (yes; I'm being cruel in not providing their translations - so `happy researching'). But `why' was Muhammad such of a sword swinger? Why didn't he `turn the other cheek' as recommended by an earlier prophet? For these answers in getting inside of Muhammad's head one needs to read "The Truth About Muhammad" by Robert Spencer. Good companion books analyzing Mohammad's battles with constructive criticism are: "War; Terror Peace in the Qur'an and in Islam" by T.P. Schwartz-Barcott; "Muhammad: Islam's First Great General" by Richard Gabriel [the author did cite the first two books]; "The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam" by R. Spencer; for those willing to overlook the Perfect Man's [al-Insan al-Kamil] murders see: "Islam and the Abode of War: Military Slaves and Islamic Adversaries" by David Ayalon; "The Quranic Concept of War" by S.K. Malik; "Jihad in the Qur'an and Sunna" by Humaid; or "Khalid bin al-Waleed: Sword of Allah" by Akran. [As noted by Raymond Ibrahim: among the most authoritative books devoted to recounting the Islamic conquests are: Ibn Ishaq's (d. 767) "Sira Rasul Allah" ("Life of Muhammad": the oldest biography of Muhammad); Waqidi's (d. circa. 820) "Maghazi" ("Military Campaigns [of the Prophet]"); Baladhuri's (d. 892) "Futuh al-Buldan" ("Conquests of the Nations"); and Tabari's (d. 923) multi-volume "Tarikh al-Rusul wa al-Muluk"; ("History of Prophets and Kings": which is 40 volumes in the English translation.] {see also: Atlas of the Islamic Conquests" (c. 2010) by Ahmad Adil Kamal.} - Col. William Garrison; USAR (Ret.).
