Liberty & Justice For Some: Two Centuries of Independent Black Leaders & Political Movements
Two Centuries of Independent Black Leaders & Political Movements
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Show Notes
Here’s a seemingly inexplicable historical event: How did the anti-slavery Republican party take the White House in 1861, only six years after its formation?
Thanks to the work of our special guest, Dr. Omar Ali, a historian at UNC-Greensboro, we know this accomplishment is largely due to the earlier work of the abolitionist Liberty Party beginning in the 1840s and continued by the Free Soil Party, which worked against the extension of slavery.
Author of In the Balance of Power: Independent and Third Party Black Politics in the United States, Dr. Ali emphasizes the importance of looking twenty years prior to fully understand these events. By this method, he describes the Civil Rights movement as an independent mobilization that rose outside the two-party structure in the 1950s and 60s.
In this Purple Principle episode, “Liberty & Justice for Some,” we find that the history of independent and third-party black political mobilization is rich, significant, and long-running, with notable modern accomplishments as well. These include Mayor Harold Washington's defeat of Chicago Democratic machine candidates in the 1980s and Lenora Fulani’s 1988 independent campaign for President.
In an age where two parties seem to have a solid lock on our politics, it’s important to highlight periods when independents and third parties have had a significant impact. And at a time when issues of race and identity polarize our politics and society, it’s vital to understand the fluid nature of issues over time.
Tune into Season Two, Episode 15, “Liberty and Justice for Some,” for an in-depth discussion with Dr. Ali as well as archival audio of some important voices in this throughline, including Frederick Douglass (courtesy of James Earl Jones), W.E.B DuBois, Jesse Jackson, Lenora Fulani, and others.
Original Music by Ryan Adair Rooney
Show Notes
Our Guest
Additional Resources
Frederick Douglass, “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” July 5, 1852.
Frederick Douglass. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
W.E.B. Du Bois. Library of Congress.
W.E.B. Du Bois. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
Jesse Jackson and the Rainbow Coalition, 1984 and 1988. Digital Public Library of America.
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