618. The 1967 Racial Unrest in U.S. Cities and the Kerner Commission's Bold Verdict

When more than 150 riots rocked American cities in 1967, President Johnson established an eleven member body to investigate the causes. The National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders, known as the Kerner Commission, challenged the white power structure by concluding that racial inequality and white police brutality, not young black male anger, were the root causes. The report famously asserted that “the nation is moving toward two societies, one black and one white—separate and unequal.” This talk explores why the riots happened after the non-violent direct action of the Southern campaign of the Civil Rights Movement, the role of police violence, and how Washington missed an important opportunity to address the Kerner Commission’s findings.