# When the Smoke Cleared: The 1968 Rebellions and the Unfinished Battle for Civil Rights in the Nation's Capital - Hardcover

by **Kyla Sommers** (Author)

**Echoing James Forman Jr.'s _Locking Up Our Own_, a riveting story of race, civil rights, and rebellion in Washington, DC**

In April 1968, following the murder of Martin Luther King Jr., a wave of uprisings swept across America. None was more visible-or resulted in more property damage, arrests, or federal troop involvement--than in Washington, DC, where thousands took to the streets in protest against racial inequality, looting and burning businesses in the process. The nation's capital was shaken to its foundations.

  

_When the Smoke Cleared_ tells the story of the Washingtonians who seized the moment to rebuild a more just society, one that would protect and foster Black political and economic power. A riveting account of activism, urban reimagination, and political transformation, Kyla Sommers's revealing and deeply researched narrative is ultimately a tale of blowback, as the Nixon administration and its allies in Congress thwarted the ambitions of DC's reformers, opposing civil rights reforms and self-governance. And nationwide, conservative politicians used the specter of crime in the capital to roll back the civil rights movement and create the modern carceral state.

  

A vital chapter in the struggle for racial equality, _When the Smoke Cleared_ is an account of open wounds, paths not taken, and their unforeseen consequences--revealed here in all of their contemporary significance.

### Author Biography

**Kyla Sommers** earned her PhD in history from the George Washington University. Her writing has appeared in the _Washington Post_, the _Washington History_ journal, and the book _Demand the Impossible: Essays in History as Activism_. Sommers is the digital engagement editor at American Oversight and was previously the editor-in-chief of the History News Network. The author of _When the Smoke Cleared_ (The New Press), she lives in Washington, DC.

**Number of Pages:** 320

**Dimensions:** 1.3 x 8.7 x 5.5 IN

**Publication Date:** April 25, 2023

## Details

- **Price:** 28.99 USD
- **Vendor:** Books by splitShops
- **Type:** Books
- **Tags:** Books by splitShops, Shopify Collective

## Variants

| Variant | Price | Available |
|---------|-------|-----------|
| Default Title | 28.99 USD | In stock |

## Images

- When the Smoke Cleared: The 1968 Rebellions and the Unfinished Battle for Civil Rights in the Nation's Capital - Hardcover

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