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This book reaches deep into the past of the city of Los Angeles and carries through to the dramatic events that have recently received global attention--the Rodney King beating and the uprising in South Central L.A. Tracing the evolution of an extraordinary biracial coalition in Los Angeles behind Mayor Tom Bradley, Raphael Sonenshein shows how "crossover" politics and racial violence coexist in urban America. While challenging the prevailing pessimism about biracial coalitions in general, he also compares their relative successes in Los Angeles to their disheartening failures in New York City. What emerges is a probing look at a crucial issue of politics in the United States: can whites and minorities find common ground?
List of contents
List of Illustrations Overview: Biracial Coalition Politics 2Minorities in the Entrepreneurial City: 1781-1960 3First Victories: 1960-1963 Pt. 2The Road to Power The Roots of Biracial Politics: The Tenth District 5Race, Ideology, and the Formation of a New Citywide Coalition 6The 1969 Mayoral Crusade 7Biracial Victory: The 1973 Mayoral Election 8Factional Conflicts and the Consolidation of Biracial Power Pt. 3The Coalition in Power Political Change: Power Shifts 10Economic Change: A Mixed Record 11Political Hegemony: 1973-1985 12The Breakdown of Consensus: 1985-1990 13The Rodney King Case and Los Angeles Coalition Politics Pt. 4Endings and Beginnings Biracial Coalition Politics in Los Angeles and New York City 15Multiracial Coalitions in the Future of Los Angeles: Politics beyond Black and White 16Conclusions and Implications: Toward a New Contract for Biracial Politics References Index
About the author
Raphael J. Sonenshein
With a new afterword by the author
Summary
Tracing the evolution of an extraordinary biracial coalition in Los Angeles behind Mayor Tom Bradley, this book shows how 'crossover' politics and racial violence coexist in urban America. Challenging the pessimism about biracial coalitions in general, it compares their relative successes in Los Angeles to their disheartening failures in New York.
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". . . a book that will set an agenda for research and the interpretation of urban politics for years to come. . . . The story that Sonenshein tells is vivid, based on solid evidence, and convincing."---Melvin L. Oliver, Contemporary Sociology
