Seen and Unseen: Technology, Social Media, and the Fight for Racial Justice

(Paperback)

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A riveting exploration of how visual media has shifted the narrative on race and reignited the push towards justice by the author of the worthy and necessary (The New York Times) Nobody Marc Lamont Hill and the bestselling author and acclaimed journalist Todd Brewster.

With his signature clear and courageous (Cornel West) voice Marc Lamont Hill and New York Times bestselling author Todd Brewster weave four recent pivotal moments in Americas racial divide into their disturbing historical contextstarting with the killing of George Floyd. Seen and Unseen reveals the connections between our current news headlines and social media feeds and the countrys long struggle against racism.

Drawing on the powerful role of technology as a driver of history, identity, and racial consciousness, Seen and Unseen asks why, after so much video confirmation of police violence on people of color, it took the footage of George Floyd to trigger an overwhelming response of sympathy and outrage.

In the vein of The New Jim Crow and Caste, Seen and Unseen incisively explores what connects our moment to the history of race in America but also what makes today different from the civil rights movements of the past and what it will ultimately take to push social justice forward.

Reviews

BrilliantA brisk, smart, short history of the effects of new communication technologies [on race in America], from the photographs of the 19th century to the movies and television of the 20th and the internet of our own time. The Guardian
Packed with relevant history lessons and sharp analysis, this offers a fresh angle on an issue of vital importance. Publisher's Weekly
The authors intelligently contrast momentous historical events with current atrocities, showing that while progress continues, there is much more work to be done to combat racial injustice.An important addition to debates at the intersection of race and technology. Kirkus

Author Bio

Marc Lamont Hillis currently the host ofBET NewsandBlack News Tonightand is the Steve Charles Chair in Media, Cities, and Solutions at Temple University. He is the founder and directorof the Peoples Education Center and the ownerof Uncle Bobbies Coffee & Books in Philadelphia. He has authored or coauthored several books,includingNobodyandWe Still Here.

Todd Brewster is a veteran journalist and historian who has worked as an editor forTimeandLifeand as a senior producer for ABC News.He is the coauthor, with Peter Jennings, of the #1 New York Times bestselling book,The Century, which spent nearly a year on the bestseller list, the author of the acclaimedLincolns Gamble, and coauthor, with Marc Lamont Hill, of Seen and Unseen; Technology, Social Media, and the Fight for Racial Justice. Brewster was the founding director of Center for Oral History at West Point and the executive producer ofInto Harms Way, an award-winning documentary about the West Point Class of 1967. He has taught journalism at Cooper Union, Temple University, and Mount Holyoke College. A native of Indianapolis, Brewster now lives in Connecticut.