A new book by UNH historian Jason Sokol describes what he calls the region’s 'conflicted soul’ when it comes to race. Sokol explores the discrepancies between the North’s image as haven from the segregated south, and the harsh realities that African Americans faced in black neighborhoods from Boston to Brooklyn.
This program originally broadcast on February 12, 2015.
GUEST:
- Jason Sokol – assistant professor of history at the University of New Hampshire. His most recent book is “All Eyes Are Upon Us: Race and Politics from Boston to Brooklyn.”
LINKS:
- Sokol's New York Times op-ed from last December, 'The Unreconstructed North': "Northern cities and states have long harbored movements for racial democracy, as well as for racial segregation, within the same heart and soul. Progress and regression have existed together. That duality helps to explain the mind of the North."
Jason Sokol narrates a short video about Jackie Robinson's house-hunting experience in suburbs in the 50s:
