Race Riots and Resistance uncovers a long-hidden tragic chapter of American history. Focusing
on the Red Summer of 1919 in which black communities were targeted by white mobs the book
examines the contexts out of which white racial violence arose. It shows how the riots
transcended any particularity of cause and in doing so calls into question many longstanding
beliefs about racial violence. The book goes on to portray the riots as a phenomenon
documenting the number of incidents describing the events in detail and analyzing the
patterns that emerge from looking at the riots collectively. Finally and significantly Race
Riots and Resistance argues that the response to the riots marked an early stage of what came
to be known as the Civil Rights Movement.
