About this item
Highlights
- Regarded as one of the most important works on race in America, the Kerner Report examined the terrible rioting that occurred in 1967 and concluded that it was a reaction to decades of pervasive discrimination and to the "two societies, one Black, one white--separate and unequal" that existed in the country.
- About the Author: Rick Loessberg has previously written numerous articles on the Kerner Report and conducted an oral history interview of Kerner Commission member Fred Harris for the LBJ Presidential Library.
- 284 Pages
- History, United States
Description
About the Book
Regarded as one of the most important works on race in America, the Kerner Report examined the terrible rioting that occurred in 1967 and concluded that it was a reaction to decades of pervasive discrimination and to the "two societies, one Black, one white-separate and unequa...Book Synopsis
Regarded as one of the most important works on race in America, the Kerner Report examined the terrible rioting that occurred in 1967 and concluded that it was a reaction to decades of pervasive discrimination and to the "two societies, one Black, one white--separate and unequal" that existed in the country.
Review Quotes
Few government reports have been as influential as that produced by the Kerner Commission and no one knows more about the Commission than Rick Loessberg. This thoughtful book, the product of more than a decade of research, offers a fresh new perspective on the Commission and its significance. Loessberg not only sheds light on race relations in the 1960s, he helps us to understand the many challenges the nation still confronts in providing equal opportunity to all Americans.
In tracing the story behind one of the most controversial presidential commission reports ever written, Rick Loessberg has made a highly valuable contribution to the literature on the federal government's response to racism in the United States.
Responsible and clearly written, Two Societies confronts the central, tragically enduring question of the chasm between the Kerner Report's findings, recommendations, and impacts.
Rick Loessberg has written the most interesting and thorough analysis of the Kerner Commission Report and its impact that I have read. He provides background information and insights that I never knew about--and I was on the staff of the Commission.
Rick Loessberg's academically solid, well researched, and highly informative book, Two Societies, is an excellent assessment of the Kerner Commission's operations, findings, recommendations, and impact.
The 1968 Kerner Report was the most profound and prophetic policy paper ever produced in this nation. Rick Loessberg is the consummate student and translator of the same. Both the report and Two Societies make it plain that Black masses in this country are still chief among the last and the least.
About the Author
Rick Loessberg has previously written numerous articles on the Kerner Report and conducted an oral history interview of Kerner Commission member Fred Harris for the LBJ Presidential Library. He also has had a more than thirty-year career working for or with local, state, and federal government and administering many of the types of programs that the Kerner Report recommended.
