"An eloquent and essential correction to contemporary discussions of
the American working class."--The Nation
From the ongoing issues of poverty, health, housing, and employment to
the recent upsurge of lethal police-community relations, the black
working class stands at the center of perceptions of social and racial
conflict today. Journalists and public policy analysts often discuss the
black poor as "consumers" rather than "producers," as "takers" rather
than "givers," and as "liabilities" instead of "assets."
In his engrossing history, Workers on Arrival, Joe William Trotter,
Jr., refutes these perceptions by charting the black working class's
vast contributions to the making of America. Covering the last four
hundred years since Africans were first brought to Virginia in 1619,
Trotter traces the complicated journey of black workers from the
transatlantic slave trade to the demise of the industrial order in the
twenty-first century. At the center of this compelling, fast-paced
narrative are the actual experiences of these African American men and
women. A dynamic and vital history of remarkable contributions despite
repeated setbacks, Workers on Arrival expands our understanding of
America's economic and industrial growth, its cities, ideas, and
institutions, and the real challenges confronting black urban
communities today.
