Defending the Spirit: A Black Life in America

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Penguin, Feb 1, 1999 - Biography & Autobiography - 320 pages
Randall Robinson's Defending The Spirit is a personal account of his rise from poverty in the segregated south to a position as one of the most distinguished and outspoken political activists of our time. In 1977, Robinson founded TransAfrica, the first organization to lobby for the interests of African and Caribbean peoples. TransAfrica was instrumental in the release of Nelson Mandela from prison in South Africa and the reinstatement of President Aristide in Haiti. Robinson's thoughtful and provocative memoir paints a vivid picture of racism in the hallowed halls of Harvard, where he went to law school, as well as the corridors of power in Washington, D.C. He also recounts in fascinating detail his trips to troubled African and Caribbean nations; more than anyone else, he has raised awareness of the problems in those countries. Defending The Spirit also gives a devastating commentary on America's foreign policy endeavors in African and Caribbean nations, and an impassioned call to African-Americans for new leadership and activism to fight racism all over the world.
 

Contents

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
PART ONE Behind the Race Wall
PART TWO Bridges to Seriousness
PART THREE Toward Washington
PART FOUR Moving Against Apartheid
PART FIVE Of Triumph and Tragedy
PART SIX Haiti Redeemed
PART SEVEN Of Tyranny and Accommodation
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About the author (1999)

Randall Robinson is the founder and president of TransAfrica, the organization that spearheaded the movement to influence US policies toward international black leadership. He is the author of Defending the Spirit: A Black Life in America, The Debt: What America Owes to Blacks, and The Reckoning: What Blacks Owe To Each Other. Frequently featured in major print media, he has appeared on Charlie RoseTodayGood Morning America, and the MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour, among others.

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