Living As Equals : How Three White Communities Struggled to Make Interracial Connections During the Civil Rights Era

Using interviews with leaders and participants, as well as historical archives, the author documents three interracial sites where white Americans put themselves into unprecedented relationships with African Americans, Mexican Americans, and Asian Americans. In teen summer camps in the New York City and Los Angeles areas, students from largely segregated schools worked and played together; in Washington, DC, families fought blockbusting and white flight to build an integrated neighborhood; and in San Antonio, white community activists joined in coalition with Mexican American groups to advocate for power in a city government monopolized by Anglos. Women often took the lead in organizations that were upsetting patterns of men's protective authority at the same time as white people's racial dominance. Camping For Democracy : Brotherhood Camps, 1957-1967 -- Respecting All The Brothers And Sisters : Brotherhood Camps, 1968-1974 -- Making A Neighborhood : Neighbors Inc., 1958-1965 -- Abiding Together : Neighbors Inc., 1965-1975 -- The Limits Of White Anglo Benevolence : San Antonio, 1948-1968 -- A Victory Of Multicultural Collaboration : San Antonio, 1969-1983. Phyllis Palmer. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 247-289) And Index. "An inspiring brief for how crucial the work of the heart is to long-lasting and meaningful social change."--Avery F. Gordon