"Ford's overlap of past and present, narrative and commentary is
masterful, and makes this volume all the more valuable to those readers
wise enough to allow the past to inform the future. Of Blood and Sweat
is a myth-busting work of genius that will stand as the last word on
this vital subject for a long time to come."--Elizabeth Dowling Taylor,
New York Times bestselling author of A Slave in the White House and
The Original Black Elite
In this, provocative, timely, and painstakingly researched book, the
award-winning author of Think Black tells the story of how Black labor
helped to create and sustain the wealth of the white one percent
throughout American history.
Clyde W. Ford uses the lives of individual Black men and women as a lens
to explore the role they have played in creating American institutions
of power and wealth--in agriculture, politics, jurisprudence, law
enforcement, culture, medicine, financial services, and many other
fields--while not being allowed to fully participate or share in the
rewards. Today, activists have taken the struggle for racial equity and
justice to the streets. Of Blood and Sweat goes back through time to
excavate the roots of this struggle, from pre-colonial Africa through
post-Civil War America. As Ford reveals, in tracing the history of
almost any major American institution of power and wealth you'll find it
was created by Black Americans, or created to control them.
Painstakingly researched and documented, Of Blood and Sweat is a
compelling look at the past that holds broad implications for
present-day calls for racial equity, racial justice, and the abolishment
of systemic racism, and offers invaluable insight into our understanding
of Black history and the story of America.
