Regarding Benson’s latest work the publisher says:
“Benson not only seeks to illuminate the untold tenets of Malcolm X’s educational philosophy, but also traces the historical trajectory of Black activists that sought to create spaces of liberation and learning free from cultural and racial oppression.”
About the Book
In this scholarly work, author Dr. Richard D. Benson II presents Malcolm X as more than the radical political figure and firebrand, but shows the biographical sides of Malcolm X that are seldom seen — student, educator, mentor and motivator. Through archival research, “Fighting for Our Place in the Sun,” illuminates the untold tenets of Malcolm X’s educational philosophy.
In addition, this book traces a historical trajectory of Black activists that sought to create educational spaces free from cultural and racial oppression in the spirit of Malcolm X. Students and researchers of African-American studies, American studies, educational policy and more will benefit from this provocative and enlightening text.
What Others Are Saying
“This is a valuable, well-written, and well-researched book that makes a significant contribution to various fields, including Pan-Africanism and the legacy of Malcolm X.”
(Gerald Horne, Author, ‘The Counter-Revolution of 1776: Slave Resistance and the Origins of the USA’)
“Richard D. Benson II is passionate about his subject and it shows. His book is a part of the growing body of literature on students in the Black Power movement, their intellectual influences, and the complex political legacy of Malcolm X.”
(Barbara Ransby, Professor, University of Illinois at Chicago; Author, ‘Ella Baker and the Black Freedom Movement’)
“Richard D. Benson II’s ‘Fighting for Our Place in the Sun: Malcolm X and the Radicalization of the Black Student Movement 1960–1973’ makes a major contribution to the evolving scholarship on the Civil Rights Movement, especially its underresearched Black Power phase, and both Black nationalism and Pan-Africanism. This meticulously researched book also contributes to our understanding of Malcolm X whose legacy has not garnered the scholarly attention it deserves beyond several important biographies. What distinguishes Benson’s treatment of Malcolm X is the focus on his educational philosophy, his impact on SNCC and the broader student movement of the sixties, his evolving gender politics, and his profound influence on the development of Black independent educational institutions.
(Beverly Guy-Sheftall, Founding Director, Women’s Research & Resource Center, and Anna Julia Cooper Professor of Women’s Studies, Spelman College; Co-Author (with Johnnetta Betsch Cole), ‘Gender Talk: The Struggle for Women’s Equality in African American Communities’)
Richard D. Benson II’s book will ground oft-misguided declarations about the purpose and future of historically Black colleges and universities … He connects the political and educational philosophies of Malcolm X, the Nation of Islam, SNCC, SOBU, YOBU, and a constellation of Black organizations to fashion a new interpretive lens … This remarkable and long-awaited corrective by a teacher/scholar operate[es], as Brother Malcolm did, in Black pedagogical spaces where intergenerational and Pan-African internationalist intellectual work was and is undertaken for broader human transformation. Benson has done our ancestors and current generation proud.”
(Greg Carr, Chair, Afro American Studies Department, Howard University)
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