Race for Sanctions: African Americans against Apartheid, 1946-1994 (Blacks in the Diaspora)

"An important contribution to the political history of this period [and] a must for those interested in the influence of the great pan-Africanists." ―Elliott P. Skinner This study traces the evolution of the anti-apartheid movement from its origins in the 1940s through the civil rights and black power eras to its maturation in the 1980s as a force that transformed U.S. foreign policy. The movement initially met resistance and was soon repressed, only to reemerge during the civil rights era, when it became radicalized with the coming of the black freedom movement. The book looks at three important political groups: TransAfrica―the black lobby for Africa and the Caribbean; the Free South Africa Movement; and lastly the Congressional Black Caucus and its role in passing sanctions against South Africa over President Reagan’s veto. It concludes with an assessment of the impact of sanctions on the release of Nelson Mandela and his eventual election as president of South Africa. "This study traces the evolution of the anti-apartheid movement among African Americans from its origins in the 1940s through the civil rights and black power eras to its maturation in the 1980s as a force that transformed U.S. foreign policy. The book traces the emergence of this counter-hegemonic discourse in the radical African diaspora politics of the 1940s despite its suppression by the government. It looks closely at efforts to co-opt African-American leaders and organizations through an "enlightened paternalism" that included covert and overt CIA funding and the establishment of anticommunist journals. In the 1950s and 1960s anti-apartheid sentiment reemerged during the civil rights movement and found its strongest expression during the black freedom movement of the next decade. The book looks at three important political groups: TransAfrica - the black lobby for Africa and the Caribbean; the Free South Africa Movement; and the Congressional Black Caucus and its role in passing sanctions against South Africa over President Reagan's veto. It concludes with an assessment of the impact of sanctions on the release of Nelson Mandela and his eventual election as president of South Africa."--Jacket. This study traces the evolution of the anti-apartheid movement from its origins in the 1940s through the civil rights and black power eras to its maturation in the 1980s as a force that transformed U.S. foreign policy. The movement initially met resistance and was soon repressed, only to reemerge during the civil rights era, when it became radicalized with the coming of the black freedom movement. The book looks at three important political groups: TransAfrica the black lobby for Africa and the Caribbean; the Free South Africa Movement; and lastly the Congressional Black Caucus and its role in. contents 6 preface 8 list of abbreviations 12 Cold War and Apartheid 16 The Movement against Apartheid 42 “By Any Means Necessary”Black Power and Pan-Africanism 72 “It’s Nation Time”Pan-Africanism and African Liberation 84 TransAfrica 112 The Free South Africa Movement 138 The Race for Sanctions 153 Dismantling Apartheid 172 notes 188 bibliography 212 index 228