{"product_id":"when-the-smoke-cleared-the-1968-rebellions-and-the-unfinished-battle-for-civil-rights-in-the-nations-capital-9781620977477","title":"When the Smoke Cleared: The 1968 Rebellions and the Unfinished Battle for Civil Rights in the Nation's Capital","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEchoing James Forman Jr.'s \u003cem\u003eLocking Up Our Own\u003c\/em\u003e, a riveting story of race, civil rights, and rebellion in Washington, DC \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003eIn April 1968, following the murder of Martin Luther King Jr., a wave of uprisings swept across America. None was more visible--or resulted in more property damage, arrests, or federal troop involvement--than in Washington, DC, where thousands took to the streets in protest against racial inequality, looting and burning businesses in the process. The nation's capital was shaken to its foundations.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eWhen the Smoke Cleared\u003c\/em\u003e tells the story of the Washingtonians who seized the moment to rebuild a more just society, one that would protect and foster Black political and economic power. A riveting account of activism, urban reimagination, and political transformation, Kyla Sommers's revealing and deeply researched narrative is ultimately a tale of blowback, as the Nixon administration and its allies in Congress thwarted the ambitions of DC's reformers, opposing civil rights reforms and self-governance. And nationwide, conservative politicians used the specter of crime in the capital to roll back the civil rights movement and create the modern carceral state.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eA vital chapter in the struggle for racial equality, \u003cem\u003eWhen the Smoke Cleared\u003c\/em\u003e is an account of open wounds, paths not taken, and their unforeseen consequences--revealed here in all of their contemporary significance.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eKyla Sommers\u003c\/strong\u003e earned her PhD in history from the George Washington University. Her writing has appeared in the \u003cem\u003eWashington Post\u003c\/em\u003e, the \u003cem\u003eWashington History\u003c\/em\u003e journal, and the book \u003cem\u003eDemand the Impossible: Essays in History as Activism\u003c\/em\u003e. Sommers is the digital engagement editor at American Oversight and was previously the editor-in-chief of the History News Network. The author of \u003cem\u003eWhen the Smoke Cleared\u003c\/em\u003e (The New Press), she lives in Washington, DC.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"New Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50641859543314,"sku":"9781620977477","price":23.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_54c85af3-1596-40e5-ad9b-fb22c0869f1f.jpg?v=1733042891","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/when-the-smoke-cleared-the-1968-rebellions-and-the-unfinished-battle-for-civil-rights-in-the-nations-capital-9781620977477","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}