October 13, 2009 - Posted by Tyler Lewis
Recognizing that protecting the rights of all Americans would require more than just legislation, Congress included a provision in the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to create a body within the Department of Justice, called the Community Relations Service (CRS), to be a "peacemaker" when community tensions arise based on race, color, or national origin.
Bertram Levine's "Resolving Racial Conflict: The Community Relations Service and Civil Rights, 1964-1989" is the first history of the the work of the CRS since its creation. Levine tells a fascinating story of the men and women mediation specialists who worked in an agency that played a crucial, but largely unknown, role in the Civil Rights Movement.
The Civil Rights Book Club aims to provide context and provoke discussion about today's top social justice concerns. Each week, we profile a book, a movie, or other media that represent the diversity of the contemporary social justice movement. You can help support The Leadership Conference by purchasing Book Club selections through the Amazon.com link on our website.
Categories: LCCR & LCCREF
