From the sit-ins and freedom marches of the sixties, to the election of Barack Obama--the story and lessons of a great journey of hope and transformation.

"Harding's collection of essays . . . is a charge to the teachers of America to reconstruct its goals, methods, and soul for the latest heirs of our racial malaise. . . Hope and History is less a work of reason than a head-clearing blast from Gabriel's trumpet." --The New York Times

Hope and History is an eloquent, informed, and impassioned call to remember and to share the story of "the civil rights movement." Drawing upon his extensive experience as a participant-historian in the movement, Harding focuses on the profound significance of the freedom struggle for our lives as citizens today. In this new edition, he reflects on the election of President Barack Obama, drawing connections between his accomplishment and the broad history that lay behind it. That great struggle for freedom and transformation emerges as a continuing human classic whose liberating lessons are available to all.

Vincent Harding is Professor of Religion and Social Transformation at the Iliff School of Theology. Formally director of the Martin Luther King Memorial Center, and chairman of the nationally televised Black Heritage series, he served as senior advisor to the PBS television series, "Eyes on the Prize."