The Mexican Revolution was a defining moment in the history of race
relations, impacting both Mexican and African Americans. For black
Westerners, 1910-1920 did not represent the clear-cut promise of
populist power, but a reordering of the complex social hierarchy which
had, since the nineteenth century, granted them greater freedom in the
borderlands than in the rest of the United States. Despite its lasting
significance, the story of black Americans along the Mexican border has
been sorely underreported in the annals of U.S. history. Gerald Horne
brings the tale to life in Black and Brown. Drawing on archives on both
sides of the border, a host of cutting-edge studies and oral histories,
Horne chronicles the political currents which created and then
undermined the Mexican border as a relative safe haven for African
Americans. His account addresses blacks' role as "Indian fighters," the
relationship between African Americans and immigrants, and the U.S.
government's growing fear of black disloyalty, among other essential
concerns of the period: the heavy reliance of the U.S. on black soldiers
along the border placed white supremacy and national security on a
collision course that was ultimately resolved in favor of the latter.
Mining a forgotten chapter in American history, Black and Brown offers
tremendous insight into the past and future of race relations along the
Mexican border.
