Testifying that the foundation of modern Western thought, theory, and practice can be traced back to ancient African thought, theory, and practice, this book exposes the African influence on Greek and Roman thought and its influence on the development of modern Western society. It then establishes the urgency to defend and honor the role of Ancient African civilizations on this major event. Exposing fallacies and reestablishing new and undistorted ways of viewing the formation of Western society, the book shows how classic literature shaped the contemporary world in intricate and sometimes startlingly and brutally honest detail. Not satisfied with simply challenging the reader to think about things differently, the volume goes further, citing specific examples and offering instruction on how to begin to retrain oneself to think about the origins of modern society in other terms. The book is also separated from other such critical efforts by expanding the text with instruction for implementing new ways of looking at the educational curriculum--to ensure that the task of improving education can be taken up by future generations.

Six years' worth of symposiums come together in this rich collection of essays that plot a course for African Americans, explaining how individuals and households can make changes that will immediately improve their circumstances in areas ranging from health and education to crime reduction and financial well-being. Addressing these pressing concerns are contributors Dr. David Satcher, former U.S. surgeon general; Wade Henderson, executive director of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights; Angela Glover Blackwell, founder of the research think tank PolicyLink; and Cornell West, professor of Religion at Princeton University. Each chapter outlines one key issue and provides a list of resources, suggestions for action, and a checklist for what concerned citizens can do to keep their communities progressing socially, politically, and economically. Though the African American community faces devastating social disparities--in which more than 8 million people live in poverty--this celebration of possibility, hope, and strength will help leaders and citizens keep Black America moving forward.

White Hate Crimes: Howard Beach and Other Racial Atrocities offers a timely examination of the barely discussed, but widely practiced phenomenon of white-on-Black Crime. Although the Civil Rights legislation of the 1950s and 1960s suggested a movement toward racial harmony, the rise of conservatism during the Ronald Reagan Administration helped to create a climate that not only reversed civil rights gains, but lead to a resurgence of hatred and violence toward people of color and the poor. Dr. Alphonso Pinkney presents a riveting, historical account of white racially motivated individual and mob attacks on Blacks during the 1980s. Documenting the striking parallels of these attacks as a return to Reconstruction Era and early 1900s race riot styled lynchings, Pinkney provides engaging profiles of the victims and their attackers, reviews the legal proceedings, analyzes the affects on the families and communities involved, and demonstrates the legal system's complicity in disrupting justice.