The Essential Kerner Commission Report

“This version of the landmark report features a superb introduction by Cobb and a closing section of frequently asked questions—e.g., ‘How come nothing has been done about these problems?’ The book contains plenty of fodder for crucial national conversations and many excellent ideas for much-needed reforms that could be put into place now. A welcome new version of a publication that is no less important now than it was in 1967.” – Kirkus Reviews, starred review“New Yorker staff writer Cobb (The Substance of Hope) presents an astutely abridged and incisively contextualized version of the 1968 Kerner Commission Report … Cobb’s concise introduction delves into the origins of the commission and highlights key findings … The report itself is startlingly blunt … and remarkably prescient … In the appendix, Cobb briskly and persuasively tackles ‘frequently asked question’ … The result is an essential resource for understanding what Cobb calls the ‘chronic national predicament’ of racial unrest.” – Publishers Weekly“With a perceptive introduction by historian Cobb… this version of the report, co-edited by historian Guariglia, is indeed essential for what it presents and why its findings still matter… this version of the report might point the way toward a national resolution, if the United States summons the will and wherewithal to make change.” – Randall M. Miller - Library Journal

Jelani Cobb is a staff writer at The New Yorker and a former student of Stanley Crouch.

Matthew Guariglia is a historian and senior policy analyst at the Electronic Frontier Foundation. He is the author of Police and the Empire City: Race and the Origins of Modern Policing in New York. He lives in Atlanta, Georgia.