Canaan, dim and far : black reformers and the pursuit of citizenship in Pittsburgh, 1915-1945 / Adam Lee Cilli.

Athens : The University of Georgia Press, [2021]

xv, 253 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

"Canaan Dim and Far argues for the importance of Pittsburgh as a case study in analyzing African American civil rights and political advocacy in an urban setting, asthecity was situated well between the encroachment of Jim Crow initiatives of the 1910s and the end of World War II. In that respect, it is a study of the "long" Civil Rights Movement before the flashpoint of 1954 and outside of the traditional South. In it, author Adam Cilli shines a light on neglected elements of middle-class black activism in the decades preceding the classic Civil Rights Movement. The book features a revolving cast of social workers, journalists, scholars, and activists in Pittsburgh committed to an expansive vision of citizenship that included access to decent healthcare, adequate housing, and economic opportunity along with political and social dignity. While these reformers developed community programs to salve the physical wounds of inequality and "adjust" migrants to the urban North, they appropriated mainstream discourses to change the system from within. In doing so, they challenged white America to face its contradictions and live up to its democratic ideals"-- Provided by publisher.

Online version: Cilli, Adam Lee. Canaan, dim and far Athens : The University of Georgia Press, [2021]

English

July 30, 2021

Includes bibliographical references and index.