African American leadership /

Walters (Univ. of Maryland) and Smith (San Francisco State Univ.), two eminent scholars of the field, seek to fill a large gap in the African American political literature with this study of African American leadership, most specifically the structures of this leadership. They ask whether or not African American leaders have often been on the margins of political leadership because they are marginal figures or because the society in which they live and work isolates and marginalizes them. The authors argue that the second explanation is as valid as the first. They suggest that racism is at least part of the reason for that marginalization. The reality of white supremacy also raises the question of whether or not future political realities will keep these leaders on the margin for reasons similar to those that originally put them there. Walters and Smith's book is a serious addition to the literature of African American leadership, its problems, possibilities, and realities. Their book should be in every library where African American leadership issues are of concern. Critical for undergraduate, graduate, and research collections. P. Barton-Kriese; Indiana University East