Rachel Grant, University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications Journalism assistant professor, is the author of the book review of “Black Radical: The Life and Times of William Monroe Trotter” published in American Journalism on Sept. 16, 2021.

Grant reviews a biography of William Monroe Trotter, a Black Freedom activist and editor of the Boston-based newspaper the Guardian. The newspaper, founded in 1901, positioned the Black working class to recognize and embrace their political power. In the biography, readers can explore the long struggle for civil rights.

According to Grant, “Unlike many Black civil rights leaders during this period, Trotter was fearless when it came to going against popular opinion and earning the disapproval of powerful whites (even those who were considered liberal on the ’race question’). He inspired more than two generations of Black people across the African-diasporic tradition to fight for the equality and rights denied to them after Emancipation and Reconstruction. For journalism scholars, this book traces the development of the Black press in the early twentieth century.”

She adds, “In tracing that legacy of Black radicalism, Black Radical shows that social movements require constant adjustment of vision, but that such redefinition must come from those experiencing discrimination and oppression. Trotter continually sought to make alliances with those who could build upon the past work of Black activists and demanded that the fight for national racial justice be sustained.”

Posted: September 23, 2021
Category: College News
Tagged as: American Journalism, Rachel Grant