American Pogrom ─ The East St. Louis Race Riot and Black Politics

In this well-written study, Lumpkins (history and African American studies, the Pennsylvania State University) discusses the twentieth-century history of the Black community of East Saint Louis. He starts with a reevaluation of the causes of the 1917 destruction of the physical community, resulting in the deaths of many inhabitants and the temporary exodus of seven thousand members of the community. Rather than viewing this as a popular response by the "saloon society" to the number of Black workers moving up from the South to take jobs, Lumpkins uses an impressive array of primary documents and interviews to argue that the pogrom was instigated by White "politician-businessmen" who felt threatened by increased political and civic activity within the Black community. After a complete investigation of the events of 1917, Lumpkins details the rebuilding of the community, which started almost immediately, through the end of the Second World War. Often comparing the East St. Louis experience with that of other urban centers, the book establishes the context of a continual struggle for equality from the nineteenth century to the present, using solidarity, political savvy and determination. The footnotes and bibliography of the book are particularly detailed and will be a boon to future scholars. (Ohio University Press series on law, society and politics in the Midwest) Annotation c2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)