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A Terrible Thing to Waste: Arthur Fletcher and the Conundrum of the Black Republican - David Golland

This guide provides an overview of the book "A Terrible Thing to Waste: Arthur Fletcher and the Conundrum of the Black Republican" by David Golland.

About

As University of Kansas Press describes "The upward arc of Fletcher’s political narrative begins with his first youthful protest—a boycott of his high school yearbook—and culminates with his appointment as assistant secretary of Labor under Richard Nixon. The Republican Party he embraced after returning from the war was “the Party of Lincoln”—a big tent, truly welcoming African Americans. A Terrible Thing to Waste shows us those heady days, from Brown v. Board of Education to Fletcher’s implementing of the Philadelphia Plan, the first major national affirmative action initiative. Though successes and accomplishments followed through successive Republican administrations—as chair of the US Commission on Civil Rights under George H. W. Bush, for example, Fletcher’s ability to promote civil rights policy eroded along with the GOP’s engagement, as New Movement Conservatism and Nixon’s Southern Strategy steadily alienated black voters. The book follows Fletcher to the bitter end, his ideals and party in direct conflict and his signature achievement under threat.". Arthur Fletcher was an African American Republican who found his place within his party forever changed.

Book Information

A Terrible Thing to Waste

Written by David Hamilton Golland and published by University of Kansas Press offers a window into the mind of an important civil rights leader who wore many hats including; advisor to no less than 4 U.S Presidents, the first African American player for the Baltimore Colts (NFL), and most notable as the father of affirmative action. 

LA Times 95' Article: Affirmative Action Rollback Interview

NPR's Appreciation of Fletcher upon his death

NPR's broadcast of the news of Arthur Fletcher's passing.