The history of never giving up
“Resist! How a Century of Young Black Activists Shaped America” by Rita Omokha
c.2024,
St. Martin’s Press
$29.00
352 pages
Historically, when decisions were needed, the answer has often been “no.”
No, certain people don’t get the same education as others. No, there is no such thing as equality. No, voting can be denied , and no, the laws are different depending on the color of one’s skin. And in the new book, “Resist!” by Rita Omokha, no, those things have not been accepted meekly.
In 1995, after she and her brothers traveled from their native Nigeria to join their mother at her new home in the South Bronx, young Rita Omokha’s eyes were opened . She quickly understood that the color of her skin – which was “synonymous with endless striving and a pursuit of excellence” in Nigeria – was “so problematic in America.”
That became a more significant matter to Omokha, 15 years...