City Son

Andrew W. Cooper's Impact on Modern-Day Brooklyn

Nonfiction, Reference & Language, Language Arts, Journalism, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Cultural Studies, African-American Studies, Biography & Memoir, Literary
Cover of the book City Son by Wayne Dawkins, University Press of Mississippi
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Wayne Dawkins ISBN: 9781617032592
Publisher: University Press of Mississippi Publication: July 2, 2012
Imprint: University Press of Mississippi Language: English
Author: Wayne Dawkins
ISBN: 9781617032592
Publisher: University Press of Mississippi
Publication: July 2, 2012
Imprint: University Press of Mississippi
Language: English

In 1966, a year after the Voting Rights Act began liberating millions of southern blacks, New Yorkers challenged a political system that weakened their voting power. Andrew W. Cooper (1927-2002), a beer company employee, sued state officials in a case called Cooper vs. Power. In 1968, the courts agreed that black citizens were denied the right to elect an authentic representative of their community. The 12th Congressional District was redrawn. Shirley Chisholm, a member of Cooper's political club, ran for the new seat and made history as the first black woman elected to Congress.

Cooper became a journalist, a political columnist, then founder of Trans Urban News Service and the City Sun, a feisty Brooklyn-based weekly that published from 1984 to 1996. Whether the stories were about Mayor Koch or Rev. Al Sharpton, Howard Beach or Crown Heights, Tawana Brawley's dubious rape allegations, the Daily News Four trial, or Spike Lee's filmmaking career, Cooper's City Sun commanded attention and moved officials and readers to action.

Cooper's leadership also gave Brooklyn--particularly predominantly black central Brooklyn--an identity. It is no accident that in the twenty-first century the borough crackles with energy. Cooper fought tirelessly for the community's vitality when it was virtually abandoned by the civic and business establishments in the mid-to-late twentieth century. In addition, scores of journalists trained by Cooper are keeping his spirit alive.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

In 1966, a year after the Voting Rights Act began liberating millions of southern blacks, New Yorkers challenged a political system that weakened their voting power. Andrew W. Cooper (1927-2002), a beer company employee, sued state officials in a case called Cooper vs. Power. In 1968, the courts agreed that black citizens were denied the right to elect an authentic representative of their community. The 12th Congressional District was redrawn. Shirley Chisholm, a member of Cooper's political club, ran for the new seat and made history as the first black woman elected to Congress.

Cooper became a journalist, a political columnist, then founder of Trans Urban News Service and the City Sun, a feisty Brooklyn-based weekly that published from 1984 to 1996. Whether the stories were about Mayor Koch or Rev. Al Sharpton, Howard Beach or Crown Heights, Tawana Brawley's dubious rape allegations, the Daily News Four trial, or Spike Lee's filmmaking career, Cooper's City Sun commanded attention and moved officials and readers to action.

Cooper's leadership also gave Brooklyn--particularly predominantly black central Brooklyn--an identity. It is no accident that in the twenty-first century the borough crackles with energy. Cooper fought tirelessly for the community's vitality when it was virtually abandoned by the civic and business establishments in the mid-to-late twentieth century. In addition, scores of journalists trained by Cooper are keeping his spirit alive.

More books from University Press of Mississippi

Cover of the book A Mickey Mouse Reader by Wayne Dawkins
Cover of the book Ragged but Right by Wayne Dawkins
Cover of the book Panther Tract by Wayne Dawkins
Cover of the book A Thousand Cuts by Wayne Dawkins
Cover of the book Forging the Past by Wayne Dawkins
Cover of the book Brother-Souls by Wayne Dawkins
Cover of the book Prefiguring Postblackness by Wayne Dawkins
Cover of the book Realizing Our Place by Wayne Dawkins
Cover of the book Writing Women’s History by Wayne Dawkins
Cover of the book Sowing the Wind by Wayne Dawkins
Cover of the book Mayor Victor H. Schiro by Wayne Dawkins
Cover of the book Anatomy of Four Race Riots by Wayne Dawkins
Cover of the book Slavery, Propaganda, and the American Revolution by Wayne Dawkins
Cover of the book All Stories Are True by Wayne Dawkins
Cover of the book Drawing France by Wayne Dawkins
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy