Description:
This book offers a balanced assessment of the leadership and legacy of Kenneth Gibson, Newark's first African-American mayor, who took office at a time when the city was plagued by dying industries and soaring crime rates. Weaving together accounts by city employees, politicians, activists, journalists, and educators, it provides a compelling inside look at a city in crisis.
Review Quotes: "Kenneth A. Gibson was a trailblazer who set the stage for every African-American elected official in this state as well as many places around the country...He led our city in a difficult time as Newark tried to recover from the 1967 Rebellion. He will be remembered in his effort to live up to his own words: 'Wherever the country is going, Newark will get there first....This book brings together many reflections of people who joined him and worked with him to transform Newark. Ken Gibson is an urban American titan, and this book will place him before a greater audience, who will understand and see him in terms of the vision he had and the context he deserves." --Ras J. Baraka "Mayor of Newark, New Jersey"