New Prize for These Eyes: The Rise of America's Second Civil Rights Movement

by Juan Williams

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.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Politics, Race, Social Justice, Audiobook

288 pages, Hardcover

Published January 14, 2025

Reviews

[Eric Keisling · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a fascinating and in depth look into the Second Civil Rights Movement. The book covers the rise of this movement from the election of Barack Obama through the tragic murders of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, George Floyd and too many others which gave rise to the Black Lives Matter movement and protests. Especially relevant to this week, the book also addresses the rightwing backlash and white grievance politics that gave rise to the 45th and 47th president. The book is very well researched and gave unique perspectives and insights on many events that I lived through and remember. The book unfortunately ends before Biden left the race, before Kamala Harris became the nominee and before Trump was reelected so there is not an analysis of those events. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson is a welcome hero at the end of the book. This book is an excellent snapshot look at the second Civil Rights movement, even if the months following the events of the book likely change the narrative due to recent events. Overall this is a great read for people interested in social justice movements.

Thanks to Simon books for the review copy!

[Darryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Juan Williams is an award winning journalist and historian who is best known for his book "Eyes on the Prize: America’s Civil Rights Years, 1954-1965," which was subsequently adapted into a PBS documentary of the same name, and "Thurgood Marshall: American Revolutionary," the biography of the first African American Supreme Court justice. In "New Prize for These Eyes" Williams turns his gaze on the Second Civil Rights Movement, which he defines as commencing with the groundbreaking speech given by then Illinois Senator Barack Obama, a relative unknown, during the 2004 Democratic National Convention. That electrifying address marked the beginning of a new generation of leadership, as Obama did not come up through the usual paths that previous civil rights leaders such as John Lewis, Jesse Jackson and others trod to achieve recognition and success within the Black community. As a result of this and his relative youth his subsequent announcement that he would run for the presidency in 2008 was met with widespread scorn and disapproval, as most African Americans supported Hillary Clinton in the early stages of the Democratic campaign, Jesse Jackson was openly hostile towards him, and the majority of Black leaders withheld their support. (I remember several conversations with African American men in my local barbershop in Atlanta during the early stages of the campaign, and the majority of the customers, along with my barber, also disapproved of Obama, as they felt he was not one of them and would not understand their concerns or support them if he was elected president.) He eventually won over Black leadership and Black voters, and he was successfully able to portray himself as a post-racial candidate who spoke to the concerns of all voters, not just African Americans, which propelled him to a historic win in the 2008 general election.

At the same time Republicans viewed Obama as a grave threat, someone who could create a multiracial coalition that could threaten their ability to win elections for decades to come, especially as the percentage of Whites in the United States was sharply declining due to the rise of Asian and especially Latino populations and as college educated Whites gravitated toward the Democratic Party. White grievance also began to rise in the mid 2000s, as many felt that Blacks and Latinos were taking advantage of them in terms of job opportunities and benefits that rightfully belonged to them. By the late 2000s there was a rise of groups that espoused far right beliefs, fueled by traditional and social media, and by the mid 2010s alt-right groups and media outlets began to dominate conservative thinking, as Donald Trump in particular took advantage of this growing movement.

In 2014 the nation was captivated by the death of Michael Brown, a teenager who was shot to death by police officers in broad daylight in Ferguson, Missouri. The subsequent protests against police officers along with the murder of another unarmed teenager, Trayvon Martin, by a vigilante in Florida in 2013 led activists to create the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter and the creation of the grass roots movement of the same name (BLM for short). It differed from traditional civil rights organizations created in the 1960s such as the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and the Student Nonviolent Coördinating Committee (SNCC) and earlier organizations such as the NAACP and the Urban League in that they were centrally run with a male dominated leadership that tolerated little dissent; BLM was initially created by three Black female activists and groups under the same name started with little if any connection to the originally founded group. The Black Lives Matter movement aimed to address the systemic and institutional inequities that African Americans continued to experience despite the removal of legal barriers to equal treatment won during the first Civil Rights Movement, and its members assumed that it had a dedicated ally in President Obama. Obama found himself in a difficult position, though, as he kept his promise to be the president for all Americans, not just Black ones, which was frustrating and disappointing to younger Blacks and their supporters.

Unfortunately one of the adverse effects of the Black Lives Matter movement, according to Williams, was a White anti-BLM, anti-civil rights backlash, fueled by right wing media and comments by Trump and others, and fatigue over the movement’s activities, which many non-supporters viewed as disruptive and lawless.

Williams describes the numerous failures of the first Trump presidency, including the backlash over his harsh comments of and treatment toward those who protested the monstrous murder of George Floyd by a rogue police officer in Minneapolis in 2020 that was captured and distributed by a young woman who happened to be present, and his failed handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The book concludes with the infamous January 6th insurrection, the right wing backlash to the Biden presidency, the Trump fueled refusal to accept the results of the 2020 election by voters and Republican politicians, and the rise of movements and legislation opposed to civil rights, such as the Stop WOKE Act by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and the wrongheaded opposition to the teaching of critical race theory in schools. The Black Lives Matter movement largely imploded due to a lack of central organization and its inability to effectively state its goals or support or influence politicians who were sympathetic of their aims.

Williams states that the Second Civil Rights Movement, while not a success in the eyes of Black Lives Matter supporters and younger Blacks, was successful to a large part in bringing awareness of systemic racism to everyday Americans. He proposes that a Third Civil Rights Movement must consist of a multiracial coalition similar to what Barack Obama was able to create, one that would redefine the aims of civil rights in the United States and provide equal opportunities for all Americans. This book was published before the start of Trump 2.0, and its rapid destruction of democratic norms that erased many of the gains of the preceding Civil Rights Movements, and it is already out of date to some degree even though it was published earlier this year.

"New Prize for These Eyes" is a compelling account of the Second Civil Rights Movement, which includes the successes and failures of the Black Lives Matter movement and the rise of the far right and the forces that propelled Donald Trump to his successful 2016 and 2024 presidential campaigns. Unfortunately Trump 2.0 has rendered much of the gains of the Civil Rights Movements moot, but given the rising protests to what Trump and Elon Musk are doing there is at least some hope that a Third Civil Rights Movement can rise from the ashes and restore what has been lost after the disastrous 2022 and 2024 elections.

[Anjali · Rating 3 out of 5]

The idea of this book is good and it consolidates a lot of moments over the last 15-20 years that created the Second Civil Rights Movement. That said, for a reader who keeps up with current affairs and follows politics somewhat closely, there wasn’t much new information or analysis presented. The details read like a high level summary with limited, in depth analysis. For a different reader, this book presents a good summary of the fight that needs to occur to make progress in making all people equal in this country.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish I could give a book a 4.5. This book is a concise and readable history of the rise of a new "civil rights movement" in the US in the 21st century. It was hard to read because I lived through it, and had to relive it here. It's clearly going to be most useful to people who perhaps were not news-aware during these years - maybe some millennials and GenZ folks, who only vaguely know what happened to Trayvon Martin or Freddie Gray. I never read Williams's first book or watched the series, because I'm a wimp, but I imagine that book would have served the same purpose for someone like me who was a child during the first civil rights era and who was fed slightly racist viewpoints by my conservative white parents. I can imagine that someone who really is steeped in the details would find quibbles with some of the condensation he had to do to fit within this framework. And I have to say as Williams eviscerated Trump on every issue, I kept asking myself, "What is this man doing as a Fox News commentator??"

He is sympathetic to the bind in which Obama found himself, as the focus of so many hopes, but at the same time committed to being everyone's president - he understands and explains Obama's choices but doesn't pretend they weren't disappointing to a lot of people. He is less sympathetic to Black Lives Matter (the organization, not the hashtag), seemingly laying a lot of responsibility for Hillary Clinton's 2016 loss at their door because they did not engage with electoral politics that year. This was despite figures like John Lewis and Al Sharpton making statements about their knowledge of her understanding of issues affecting black people. This isn't a book about the election, so I suppose I understand why he did not mention the similar role played by the Bernie Bros. As I see some voices declaring Harris is complicit in the destruction of Palestine, I fear a rerun. In general he is kind to the individuals who created Black Lives Matter, but unsparing in his view of how the organization turned out, while clearly understanding the viewpoints of the old guard of the 1950s and 60s civil rights movement who felt that getting elected and building political power was a goal worth pursuing.

The book ends before the surprise twist in 2024 that led to Kamala Harris being the democratic party nominee, which in a way is too bad because it is very relevant to the themes Williams pursues in the book, and maybe either prior to actual publication or in a second edition, he can write an afterword addressing the events of 2024 in electoral politics. In his conclusion, he suggests that the "second" civil rights movement has petered out and that whatever comes next will be a "third" one. This is a point at with which I believe some might quibble - unless you equate the second movement with BLM?

I would recommend this book to people like my kids, who were barely teenagers when Freddie Gray was killed and need an accessible way to gain a full understanding of what was going on in the US during the Obama/Trump/Biden years. Maybe it will end up on TV and they can also watch it.

Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read an advance copy of this important book.

[Greg Talbot · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s conceivable that voters could point to President Obama or President Trump as the leader of a post-racial America. Any post-racial claim would be met with some measure of scrutiny or disbelief, but since the first civil rights movement, improvements for Black Americans and minorities have improved visibility. As historian, and former Fox News host, Juan Williams states the first civil rights movement was about integration. The shameful discrimination of Black American was forever altered by the 1960s - brave young people, of all color, actively protested and congregated, on freedom marches, at diners, in courthouses, and in marriages opened the doors for future Americans of all races to have equal opportunities.

Williams examines the conflicts and composition of the country between the 1st and 2nd civil rights movement. Obama’s dramatic ascendancy given his superlative communication skills and statesmanship, to the highest office, with a widespread multi-ethnic coalition remains remarkable. To have come of political consciousness when Obama came to power stays with me as a defining moment of American exceptionalism. He also became entangled with national race related issues of police misconduct and violence. Despite his coolness and likeability, Obama was often pillored for not doing enough for Black Americans. especially by younger Black Americans expecting a more active zealous response (p.49). As a target of the white-grievance, he became a galvanizing force for the tea party and the lies of Donald Trump. Obama often shared his personal story as a way of imparting lessons about the diverse strength of our national character. Despite attacks from the poltiical right and progressive left, Obama, and later Biden and Harris, would build strong coalitions by winning over Black voters and White voters. Promises to bring representation to the courts and cabinets were made and kept.

The technology story is embedded in here, although Williams keeps the narrative to the political lens. Police brutality may have been brought to the attention of white Americans with the Rodney King beating, but the use of network devices have radically challenged our perspections about delivering justice. Smartphones and social media challenged the landscape of strong-arm police conduct. Recorded events like the shooting of Trayvon Martin and George Floyd provoked righteous anger, and produced a responsive Black Lives Matter movement. The second civil rights movement battle cry for reforms to police, criminal justice and equity in employment was created among a network of active citizens, many online, and notably led by female leaders. The partisian political divide, that may have kicked off from Gingrich 90s and scorched-earth Buchanan politics, has amplified the division in tweets, posts, and our framework of information.

The American story of race gets more nuanced and multi-dimensional in these conflicts. The composition of the country, whose largest minority group is hispanic, and includes an increasingly growing asian population, reveal how race perspectives have extended from the origin framework of the founders. One of the more interesting racial conflicts was about the Harvard enrollment quotas, and the perspective of Asian students who felt discriminated. The arguments between justice Thomas and Brown written here makes for some thoughtful debate about the role of race in educational opportunities. It also was a reminer that the 'diversity of thought' argument is not exclusive to conservatives - minority groups can have members with drastically different views. Dishearteningly, many of the retrograde and enervating ideas from the alt-right have worked their way into the modern Republican party. One quote Williams pulls gets to the heart of the matter “Efforts to present an accurate portrait of American History have been recast by the right as a culture war centered on differences over the need to discomfort children by teaching about the history of race” (p.12).

Although it would be unfair to ask Williams to cover all aspects of Black life across these two civil rights movements, I thought it was strange he had little to say about the news environment on engaging Black viewers. Although Fox News has changed dramatically from when Williams was a contributer, he is involved in media, and would have a lot of perspective to share about how media portrayals and feedback is communicated to Black Americans. The grand old elephant in the room, President Trump, seems to have little interest in the historical injustices that faced Black Americans. Willaimd doesn't shriek from highlighting Trump's awfulness, but I was surprised he didn't address the drivers of the complicit Republican party, and it's voters (85% white) He does dive in a bit toward the end of the book about prominent Black artists in the mainstream (Beyonce, Kendrick Lamar, Barry Jenkins, Denzel Washington), but the deeply meaning of this is not explored as fully as it could be. It left me wonderfully how sentiment of race relations is so fraught (71% expressing concern by Williams cited statistic), and how Americans can bridge the cultural divides that still tribally effect so many.

Sometimes I wish Williams would include more of his perspective - he has a long storied media career and has written extensively on race. I also appreicate his straight-forward reporting style though. The book left me with a myriad of questions. One sticking with me is how we build racial progress without grievance or gatekeeping, given the rancor of our current division. Reparations and economic justice seem largely unexplored, outside of a few suburbs like Evanston, IL, but could economic repair also repair the historic unjustices. Perhaps there are new ways for America to address historical wrongs, and become the great nation we long to be.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Obama hit the nail on the head. His presidency, Black Lives Matter, and even the Trump backlash are all essential parts of the Second Civil Rights Movement. from New Prize for These Eyes by Juan Williams

I knew this history–I lived through it. And yet, seeing it in a narrative was a revelation. It was all agonizing. The events that spurred the new Civil Rights movement are horrendous to revisit.

Juan Williams begins with President Obama, the idea of a ‘post-racial America’ that so many of us believed had been achieved. Obama declared himself the president of all Americans, not Black Americans only.

When unarmed Black men and boys were killed by police, new movements arose around hashtags on social media–#BlackLivesMatter, #DefundthePolice. Systemic racism was its target. It was fueled by a multiracial group of young people.

A backlash soon rose up fueled white supremacy groups and President Trump’s MAGA supporters, white folk who believed that minorities were threatening them economically and socially and politically.

Williams contends that the first Civil Rights Movement was about ending segregation and gaining voting rights and affirmative action laws. The second Civil Rights Movement was about justice, police reform, and (still) voting rights. The first movement was organized by groups led by men. The second was grass-roots, and less organized.

…the coming movement for racial justice is likely to be built as a search for common ground among people with different experiences of America, people of different races and ethnicities. from New Prize for These Eyes by Juan Williams

Williams predicts a third, more inclusive, wave will soon be upon us.

Last of all, Williams sets forth the reforms needed to fully achieve equal rights. First, we must solve issues of police violence, voter suppression, gun violence, and economic disparities. To do this we must address the inequality of our current system of representation, the court system, and the Electoral College.

As Williams reminds us “The truth is that civil rights activism in never finished.”

It was surprising to read in the Acknowledgements that the book was a “near-death experience” until the CEO of Simon & Schuster promoted its publication. When I shared the ARC photo on social media, there was a good response.

Thanks to the publisher for a free book through LibraryThing Early Reviewer program.

[Mr. Book · Rating 5 out of 5]

You can also see this review, along with others I have written, at my blog, Mr. Book's Book Reviews.

Thank you, Simon & Schuster, for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Mr. Book just finished New Prize For These Eyes: The Rise of America’s Second Civil Rights Movement, by Juan Williams.

The author explains why we are in a second Civil Rights Movement. The first was about breaking down segregation and then working to get more blacks into elected positions, to they could pass further legislation to protect civil rights. The second movement is about polite violence, reducing the number of blacks in prison and standing up to persistent daily racism and economic inequality. The author attributes the start of the second movement to Obama’s keynote speech at the 2004 convention.

Among the strongest parts of this book were discussions on Obama’s 2008 campaign, the Troy Davis case, the Trayvon Martin and other cases, Black Lives Matter, the terrible policies, and personnel of the Trump administration (including, but far from being limited to, the top of the administration).

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in civil rights, equality and the state of the nation.

I give this book an A. Goodreads and NetGalley require grades on a 1-5 star system. In my personal conversion system, an A equates to 5 stars. (A or A+: 5 stars, B+: 4 stars, B: 3 stars, C: 2 stars, D or F: 1 star).

This review has been posted at NetGalley, Goodreads and my blog, Mr. Book’s Book Reviews

Mr. Book finished reading this on August 24, 2024.

This book will be released on January 14, 2025. If there is also an audiobook version, I will be getting it so I can enjoy it again.

[Chris Jaffe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Williams helped make the legendary Eyes on the Prize documentary on the first civil rights movement, hence why this book title harkens back to it. Williams chronicles the rise and fall of the Black Lives Matter movement, and it's a decent job covering things. It starts with the rise of Obama, and how the election of a black president brought hopes of a post-racial America. Well, that didn't happen.

You get many of the familiar stories here: Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Black Twitter, the 1619 Project, George Floyd, backlash to DEI and CRT and all things "woke." There is dillusionment with Obama, and rancor with Trump. You also get lesser known elements, like the Troy Davis case or the generational gap within civil rights activists and black America in general revealed at this time.

There is plenty good in this book, but it loses it's focus later on. Seemingly anything happening in politics becomes the story of this book. Yeah, things can intersect, but it really overdoes it, and the book starts to feel a bit flabby, despite containing barely 220 pages of material.

[Roger Smitter · Rating 4 out of 5]

When we find a book that has the name “What Happens Next” makes many of us want to try what’s going on. And really

And, yes, this book has 1 is “Four Big Ideas.” And then there is “What’s Next and Why it Matters.” Then Part 2 is “What’s Next and Why it Matters.”

And the second label of the book is “A Traveler’s Guide Through the End of This Age.” It’s obviously shows that the second part is the book. But there are very large and, of course, statements about of what could be coming in our world.

And it’s the themes about and ideas grounded in what the Bible that some of us read and, I hope, go through life with the Bible. But there could be a deeper theme in the book.

[Christian Hamaker · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. A good recap of the last 15 years and of what Williams dubs the Second Civil Rights movement, but it left me wanting an extra level of analysis beyond what’s proved here.

[Emily Cyr Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really interesting perspective on where we were in 2008 and where we are now, hard to swallow sometimes in today’s climate but ultimately offers an optimistic future

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25

[LCL Lakewood Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25

[dale rethlake · Rating 1 out of 5]

very disappointed

Williams has changed a lot. Blames everything on trump and white males. Ignores the progress that has been made over the years

[Bookewyfe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book feels old now since we are living through a time where the news is constantly changing, with headlines, reels and photos more horrible than the last thing we saw just 5 minutes ago. The author goes through a time lapse of attitudes and events in the American political landscape from the last 10+ years. We are in the fight of our lives in this new era. If every single one of us doesn’t pull together, white supremacy will destroy us all.