To commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), Sherice Nelson’s The Congressional Black Caucus: Fifty Years of Fighting for Equality is a historical analysis of the legislative success, challenges, and effectiveness of the largest race-based Caucus in the US House of Representatives. Grounded in a deep undertaking of archival research that features communication between caucus members, legislative activity, media coverage, and legislative effectiveness scores, Nelson presents an interesting argument about the role of Black congressional members and their impact on full citizenship and freedom for Black citizens within a racialized political environment.
In the first two chapters, Nelson guides the reader through the hardships Blacks endured since the country’s founding due to the denial of their citizenship. The exploration of history and the tracing of the ratification of the US Constitution, Equal Rights Amendment, Civil Rights Act of 1964, and Brown v. Board of...
University of California Press