America has always been sustained by rebellion and activism. It is up to us to continue the fight.
America's founding was a contradictory one. When the Declaration of Independence was signed 250 years ago, it painted a beautiful vision of freedom and equality. It was quite the gutsy move, declaring freedom, especially economic and religious freedom amid slavery and oppression for others. Indeed, for the majority of our nation's history, America hasn't lived up to its founding vision of freedom. Various movements have helped define and shape America, for good or bad, nudging us toward greater freedoms at times and pulling us back at others.
In our current era, these contradictions feel even more profound, and many of us are left wondering if America will ever live up to the promises of her founding, or if we are moving even further away from those hopes. Yet, a deeper look at our history reveals key revolutionary moments in which the promise of America has been fully realized. We've Been Here Before draws together the stories of these movements as a powerful reminder that America has always been sustained and challenged by rebellion and activism. Longtime journalists Michael I. Days and Angela P. Dodson compellingly profile the individuals who led those movements--the mavericks, rebels, outliers, and ordinary citizens who had extraordinary impact--paying particular attention to the women and people of color history has overlooked. At this important historical milestone, let us look back to celebrate those moments and let them guide our future.
Publisher's Note: During the final stages of production for this book, Michael I. Days tragically passed away. Days was a pioneering journalist whose career left an indelible mark on American media. As the first Black editor of the Philadelphia Daily News, he led the paper to a Pulitzer Prize for Public Service in 2010, cementing his reputation as a fearless advocate for truth and accountability. Beyond his editorial achievements, Days championed diversity in newsrooms, serving as vice president of diversity and inclusion for the Philadelphia Media Network and holding leadership roles in the National Association of Black Journalists, including serving as president of its Philadelphia chapter. Inducted into the NABJ Hall of Fame in 2017, he was widely celebrated for mentoring countless young journalists and fostering inclusive storytelling. This book stands as just one part of the legacy he leaves behind, and we are grateful for his many contributions.
About the Author :
Michael I. Days served as vice president for diversity and inclusion of the Philadelphia Media Network and the former editor of the Philadelphia Daily News. Under his leadership, the Daily News won dozens of awards, including the Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting in 2010. He also worked at the Wall Street Journal, the Louisville, Kentucky's Courier-Journal, The Minneapolis Star Tribune, and the Democrat & Chronicle in Rochester, New York, in varied reporting positions. He is the author of Obama's Legacy: What He Accomplished as President and was a partner in Editorsoncall, LLC.
Angela P. Dodson is a former senior editor for the New York Times and a former executive editor of Black Issues Book Review. She is the editor of We Refuse to Be Silent: Women's Voices on Justice for Black Men, author of Remember the Ladies: Celebrating Those Who Fought for Freedom at the Ballot Box, and the founder of Editorsoncall, LLC. She has written and edited for outlets like Essence, Heart & Soul, the Washington Star, and the Louisville Courier-Journal. She lives in Trenton, New Jersey.
Review :
"As the country prepares to celebrate its semiquincentennial, the authors challenge us not merely to parrot the ideals of liberty and justice that we learned in grade school, but also to do what we can to ensure that American democracy exists for generations to come." --Jenice Armstrong, Philadelphia Inquirer columnist
"In their thorough, detailed research, Dodson and Days remind readers of the cyclical nature of conflict, the hypocrisy of some freedom-seekers, the universal yearning for belonging and autonomy, and the unquenchable capacity for greed that has served as the catalyst for many who have settled in new lands." --Nicole Bailey-Williams, EdM, author of A Little Piece of Sky and Somebody, Help Me Find My Chalk
"Looking at history through the lens of some of the most fundamental US social justice movements and struggles for human rights, this incisive and compelling work highlights the significance of resistance and activism in shaping social, political, and cultural change in America." --Dr. Sharon Bramlett-Solomon, AEJMC award-winning journalist and coauthor of Race, Gender, Class, and Media: Studying Mass Communication and Multiculturalism
"Vivid snapshots from the American past, reminding us that home-grown extremism isn't new, and neither is the presence of brave individuals willing to stand up to it. A celebration of those who faced great dangers and long odds and decided to fight for social justice anyway, even when they knew they were destined to lose, because this is how positive change happens." --Noelle Cook, author of The Conspiracists
"Attacks on immigrants, voter suppression, and the rolling back of laws protecting unions, gender rights, and the body have been fought by people who resisted, persevered, and understood that 'power concedes nothing without struggle.' Dodson and Days remind us that as we observe the erosion of democratic principles on the semiquincentennial of the United States, we should remember that this is not a new story." --Dr. Brenda M. Greene, professor emerita, and founder and executive director emerita, of the Center for Black Literature at Medgar Evers College, CUNY
"America's origin story brims with possibility, which makes the serial betrayal of our founding ideals even more tragic. In excruciating detail, We've Been Here Before retraces our many missteps over our first 250 years. But it's also a road map of hope that, if we're willing to learn from our mistakes, can steer us back onto the path of promise." --William J. Kole, author of In Guns We Trust
"Despite the historical harm induced by America's founding fathers and the subsequent terror inflicted on their victims, the grand vision of democracy should be embraced. It is a lofty goal that has much merit. For African Americans, we must remain ever vigilant and fight when need be to protect our freedoms. We stand on the strong shoulders of ancestors who were enslaved. They will be our guiding lights in any dark days to come." --Sharon Leslie Morgan, founder of OurBlackAncestry.com, author of Finding Your Family Tree, and coauthor of Gather at the Table
"'We've Been Here Before' is a beacon in dark times. This eloquent book powerfully summons the heroic, self-sacrificing spirit of our past to rescue our present time from infamy. To paraphrase Frederick Douglass: May we hope that the lessons of wisdom, of justice, and of truth in this book will give direction to our nation's destiny." --Henry Wiencek, author of The Hairstons: An American Family in Black and White, winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for Biography
