“From the 1880s to the ultimate desegregation of all the state’s colleges and universities, Advancing Democracy demonstrates how the Texas experience was a beacon for desegregation movements in other states.” — Black Issues Book Review
“[A] deeply researched monograph.” — Journal of American History
“Exhibits an engaging, lively writing style. . . . The students and local leaders in this tradition of sacrifice are at the heart of this excellent historical work.” — American Historical Review
“Shabazz is adept at narrating the history of desegregation at numerous state-supported colleges, private universities, and religious institutions. . . . He is also skilled at illustrating the dialogue between black activists and white officials. . . . A nicely balanced account,” — Arkansas Historical Quarterly
“Fills a void in the history of educational history and the Civil Rights movement in Texas. . . . [Shabazz’s] well researched and well-written book will emerge as the standard work on the topic, and introduces themes that future historians will build upon.” — Southwestern Historical Quarterly
“A compelling, readable effort to excavate the individuals and organizations, from the grassroots to the bureaucratic level, responsible for advancing the cause of equity in education in a state that is often a bell-wether for race relations in the South. . . . While this volume will be of particular interest to those associated with Texas higher education, there is much to interest any student of civil rights history and education.” — Harvard Educational Review
“[Advancing Democracy] is a potent reminder of the ferocity of African Americans' desire for education and equality and their belief that access to better education would lead to greater equality.” — History of Education Quarterly
“The story Shabazz presents is a fascinating one, depicting Texas and Texans at their best and their worst. . . . This extensively researched book . . . will inform and sometimes provoke its readers while it educates them about the heretofore-neglected history of the struggle for equality in Texas higher education.” — East Texas Historical Journal
“This is a timely and valuable book which is well-researched and well-documented. . . . Advancing Democracy provides us with a useful and long-overdue study of an important topic in Texas history, one which reminds us just how extensive white supremacy and Jim Crow policies were in our state’s past.” — H-Texas
“A dynamic history of higher education desegregation that offers a more complex and layered understanding of the struggle for equal educational opportunities. Dramatic, readable, and provocative, this book brings alive the tensions and conflicts, as well as the great discipline and determination, within the black struggle.” — James D. Anderson, author of The Education of Blacks in the South, 1860–1935, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
