“Well-researched and accessible, this work is invaluable to expanding our current understanding of this historic decision.”—Ms. Magazine
“Cheney’s work is an exemplar of reading against the archival grain. . . . [Her] ability to combine racial geographies, examine complicity with white supremacy, and present the complex motivations of all subjects shows the possibilities within an explicitly subaltern approach to desegregation studies.”—Journal of Southern History
“Offering a compelling alternative narrative to traditional accounts of racial progress, this book provides deeper nuance to established works like Kluger’s Simple Justice and will reshape how scholars, students, and educators perceive the significance of Topeka. After reading this book, the lens through which this pivotal moment in US history is viewed will likely be changed.”—Jon Hale, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
“Challenging prevailing wisdom, Charise Cheney offers readers ‘an alternative narrative’ on the landmark Brown decision with her focus on Topeka, Kansas, where most Black parents resisted desegregation in favor of race-based school policies. Her book is a timely addition to debates about educational justice and the best ways to educate African American children. Meticulously researched and well written, Blacks Against Brown is a must read that complicates our understanding of civil rights in the educational arena.”—Crystal R. Sanders, Emory University
