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Table of Contents
About The Book
In this highly anticipated follow-up to Eyes on the Prize, bestselling author Juan Williams turns his attention to the rise of a new 21st-century civil rights movement.
More than a century of civil rights activism reached a mountaintop with the arrival of a Black man in the Oval Office. But hopes for a unified, post-racial America were deflated when Barack Obama’s presidency met with furious opposition. A white, right-wing backlash was brewing, and a volcanic new movement—a second civil rights movement—began to erupt.
In New Prize for These Eyes, award-winning author Juan Williams shines a light on this historic, new movement. Who are its heroes? Where is it headed? What fires, furies, and frustrations distinguish it from its predecessor?
In the 20th century, Black activists and their white allies called for equal rights and an end to segregation. They appealed to the Declaration of Independence’s defiant assertion that “all men are created equal.” They prioritized legal battles in the courtroom and legislative victories in Congress. Today’s movement is dealing with new realities. Demographic changes have placed progressive whites in a new role among the largest, youngest population of Blacks, Hispanics, and Asians in the nation’s history. The new generation is social media savvy, and they have an agenda fueled by discontent with systemic racism and the persistent scourge of police brutality. Today’s activists are making history in a new economic and cultural landscape, and they are using a new set of tools and strategies to do so.
Williams brilliantly traces the arc of this new civil rights era, from Obama to Charlottesville to January 6th and a Confederate flag in the Capitol. An essential read for activists, historians, and anyone passionate about America’s future, New Prize for These Eyes is more than a recounting of history. It is a forward-looking call to action, urging Americans to get in touch with the progress made and hurdles yet to be overcome.
More than a century of civil rights activism reached a mountaintop with the arrival of a Black man in the Oval Office. But hopes for a unified, post-racial America were deflated when Barack Obama’s presidency met with furious opposition. A white, right-wing backlash was brewing, and a volcanic new movement—a second civil rights movement—began to erupt.
In New Prize for These Eyes, award-winning author Juan Williams shines a light on this historic, new movement. Who are its heroes? Where is it headed? What fires, furies, and frustrations distinguish it from its predecessor?
In the 20th century, Black activists and their white allies called for equal rights and an end to segregation. They appealed to the Declaration of Independence’s defiant assertion that “all men are created equal.” They prioritized legal battles in the courtroom and legislative victories in Congress. Today’s movement is dealing with new realities. Demographic changes have placed progressive whites in a new role among the largest, youngest population of Blacks, Hispanics, and Asians in the nation’s history. The new generation is social media savvy, and they have an agenda fueled by discontent with systemic racism and the persistent scourge of police brutality. Today’s activists are making history in a new economic and cultural landscape, and they are using a new set of tools and strategies to do so.
Williams brilliantly traces the arc of this new civil rights era, from Obama to Charlottesville to January 6th and a Confederate flag in the Capitol. An essential read for activists, historians, and anyone passionate about America’s future, New Prize for These Eyes is more than a recounting of history. It is a forward-looking call to action, urging Americans to get in touch with the progress made and hurdles yet to be overcome.
About The Author
Photograph by Frank Graves
Juan Williams is a prizewinning journalist and historian. He is the author of the bestselling civil rights history Eyes on the Prize: America’s Civil Rights Years 1954–1965, which accompanied the PBS series of the same name. He also wrote the landmark biography of the first African American on the Supreme Court, Thurgood Marshall: American Revolutionary, as well as the New York Times bestsellers Enough and Muzzled: The Assault on Honest Debate. Williams worked for The Washington Post as a celebrated national political correspondent, White House correspondent, and editorial writer. His NPR talk show took ratings to a new high. He has written for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker, The Atlantic, and Ebony. He is currently senior political analyst for Fox News Channel and a columnist for The Hill.
Product Details
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster (January 14, 2025)
- Length: 288 pages
- ISBN13: 9781668012376
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Raves and Reviews
"Nearly four decades after his Eyes on the Prize heralded the heroes of the Civil Rights era, Juan Williams takes a compelling look at how far America has come in the years since--and how far we have to go."
– David Axelrod, former chief strategist and senior advisor to President Barack Obama
“Juan Williams has written a major and necessary work that serves as a through line from the height of the Civil Rights Movement more than 60 years ago, to the white nationalist backlash to the election of Barack Obama, to the challenges Black and Brown Americans continue to face today. While the demographics of who is marching has shifted and the tools they use to advocate have changed, the mission of those who boarded buses for Freedom Rides remains the same for those who create videos on social media."
– Rev. Al Sharpton, Founder and President of NAN
"Williams’ arresting prose and keen insights into this unfolding, volcanic movement are essential reading for those who want to ensure that this nation's ‘new birth of freedom’ continues unabated and unstoppable. There is no better person to write the book on the new movement to make this a more perfect union than the author who wrote the book on the first one.”
– Donna Brazile, New York Times-bestselling author of Hacks
“An eye-opening look at the state of civil rights in America."
– David M. Rubenstein, New York Times bestselling author
“In a moving bookend to Eyes on the Prize, Juan Williams walks us through the dawn of the 21st-century ‘Second Civil Rights Movement’ with clarity and precision. New Prize for These Eyes shows the promise of the grassroots-led contemporary movement for civil rights and racial justice, cautions us about how to navigate the backlash and naysayers, and offers hope for how we can all strive together toward a more perfect union.”
– Senator Tim Kaine
"New Prize for These Eyes is a powerful, timely exploration of America's evolving civil rights landscape. Williams masterfully connects past movements with present-day struggles, triumphs, and shortfalls, inspiring us to reflect on the progress made and the challenges ahead."
– Marc H. Morial, President and CEO, National Urban League
“Dazzling storytelling and research on every page that fits perfectly with Juan Williams’ original Eyes on the Prize as well as his definitive biography of Justice Thurgood Marshall. Again, we get revealing insights into, and keen observation of, today’s activists and continuing racism as the struggle continues."
– Ted Wells Jr., chairman emeritus of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund Board of Directors
“I always learn from Juan Williams, and New Prize for These Eyes is no exception. His thought-provoking book informs and challenges views on every side of the debate over how best to achieve the American ideal of freedom for all.”
– Matthew Continetti, Director of Domestic Policy Studies, American Enterprise Institute
"With New Prize for These Eyes, Juan Williams offers an unflinching, yet inspirational, assessment of the rise of the Second Civil Rights Movement. His analysis leaves no stones unturned, painting a picture of a future that is both promising and challenging. There are few authors with Williams’ credibility and expertise on these issues that are so fundamental to our democracy.”
– Ali Noorani, Program Director, US Democracy, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
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- Book Cover Image (jpg): New Prize for These Eyes eBook 9781668012376
- Author Photo (jpg): Juan Williams Photograph by Frank Graves(0.1 MB)
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