Passionate for Justice

July 8, 2019
In this hard-hitting yet heartfelt analysis, historians Meeks (Standing on Their Shoulders) and Stroupe (While We Run This Race) use Gilded Age reformer Ida B. Wells (1862–1931) as a touchstone for a discussion of 21st century racism. In the book’s opening section the authors briefly rehash Wells’s life; she worked as a journalist, was a tireless advocate for both black and woman’s rights, and helped found the NAACP in 1909. Meeks and Stroupe argue Wells’s life spans a pivotal intersection of racial and gender oppression within American history—which launches their examination of present-day white supremacy. While the biography section is idealized and rushed, the subsequent analysis is deeply moving. Meeks, a black woman, and Stroupe, a white man, tell their stories of dealing with racism. Meeks, in a dialogue with Stroupe, effectively points out the limitations in white versions of events, convincingly making the point that white Americans have largely failed to acknowledge the black experience of continuing oppression. Stroupe agrees and believes that all white Americans are born into a culture steeped in systemic, unconscious racism. The fix, Stroupe posits, is to recognize such racism, repent, partake in social justice causes, fight for reparations, and work toward reconciliation. In simple language, Meeks and Stroupe present a cogent, persuasive blueprint for achieving racial justice and equality in America.