NO EASY VICTORIES: AFRICAN LIBERATION AND AMERICAN ACTIVISTS OVER A HALF-CENTURY, 1950-2000

Tell no lies; claim no easy victories.
-Amilcar Cabral, 1965

African news making headlines in the U.S.A. today is dominated by disaster: wars, famine, HIV/AIDS. Americans who respond—from Hollywood stars to ordinary citizens—are learning that real solutions require more than charity. This book provides for the first time a panoramic view of U.S. activism on Africa from 1950 to 2000, activism grounded in a common struggle for justice. It portrays organizations, individual activists, and transnational networks that contributed to African liberation from colonialism and from apartheid in South Africa. In turn, it shows how African struggles informed U.S. activism including the civil rights and black power movements.

Intended for activists, analysts, students, researchers, teachers, and anyone concerned with world issues, the authors draw on interviews, research and personal experience to portray the history and stimulate reflection on international solidarity today. The book includes an overview of the half century, short vignettes that feature key actors or events, photo documentation, and five chapters: