“The book’s strengths lie in the interviews Mantler conducted with activists from the era, his use of archival materials, and his focus on the period’s street-level politics. He demonstrates how white supremacy, deindustrialization, and opposition from the business community blocked Washington’s plans . . . . Recommended.”—CHOICE
“Thoroughly researched and cogently argued. . . . Historians, political scientists, and aficionados of the Windy City’s always-entertaining politics will profit from a close reading of The Multicultural Promise.”—Pacific Historical Review
“This is a finely crafted and deeply sensitive book, which makes one of the most politically complex cities in North America legible, without over-simplifying its subjects or draining them of their humanity and particularity. It’s evident, too, as it was in his first book, that Mantler cares profoundly about his subjects.”—Society for US Intellectual History
“Essential reading for anyone interested in Chicago history and politics. . . . Mantler’s account offers sharp analysis of the problem of sustaining commitment, solidarity, and hope in the face of the constraints and compromises of policy making.”—Journal of American History
“Mantler’s final chapter on the fragile, situational, nature of coalition election politics provides numerous lessons for those seeking to form and sustain such coalitions in the future. . . . Mantler repeatedly rises to the challenge of periodization.”—Journal of Urban History
“The Multiracial Promise offers an excellent assessment of how Chicagoans elected their first African American mayor, what he was able to accomplish, and what was left to be done when Washington died unexpectedly. . . . Mantler captures the political activists who registered and mobilized tens of thousands of voters, the promise that Washington’s election held, and the relentless opposition and obstruction he faced while in office.”—Journal of African American History
“This is the book we've needed on Harold Washington and his era of Chicago politics. Mantler takes readers beyond the man and his moment, exploring the nuances of political coalitions, the relationships between grassroots and electoral politics, and the historical and modern challenges of making a more equal Chicago.”—Simon Balto, author of Occupied Territory: Policing Black Chicago from Red Summer to Black Power
“The Multiracial Promise takes its place on a short shelf of indispensable books on urban politics in the late twentieth century. Gordon Mantler moves beyond the politics of personality to offer a richly told account of the relationship of electoral politics to social movements, breaking from both romantic views of coalition building across racial lines and cynical accounts of social movement cooptation. Scholars, activists, and politicians can all learn a lot from this critical reflection on the opportunities and limitations of electoral politics in American cities then and now.”—Thomas J. Sugrue, author of Not Even Past: Barack Obama and the Burden of Race
“Exploring the gritty details of Chicago politics, Gordon Mantler shows us that the successful election of the city’s first African American mayor, the late Harold Washington, was achieved not through the mobilization of black voters alone but with the participation and support of Latinos, progressive whites, and the LGBTQ community. In an era crippled by the Daley (Democratic) machine, industrial decline, growing unemployment, and Reagan austerity policies, the interracial coalition Washington cultivated provided the only real hope for challenging economic inequality and expanding democracy. Mantler masterfully outlines the promise and limits of such alliances and reminds us both why they are so critical to a democratic society and meaningful social change but also how they can be used against the masses, to serve only an elite few. ”—Lilia Fernandez, University of Illinois at Chicago, author of Brown in the Windy City: Mexicans and Puerto Ricans in Postwar Chicago
“Mantler’s provocative, perceptive book highlights the battles over racism, city council infighting, and struggles to meet community activists' expectations that marked Harold Washington’s years as Chicago mayor. It also offers rich insights into Latinx Chicagoans' political participation, the gender dynamics in Chicago electoral politics, and the political careers of several major players of the Illinois Black Panther Party’s original Rainbow Coalition. A must read for scholars and activists alike.”—Jakobi Williams, author of From the Bullet to the Ballot: The Illinois Chapter of the Black Panther Party and Racial Coalition Politics in Chicago
