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Sylvonna

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Sylvonna is Currently Reading

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The Containment: Detroit, the Supreme Court, and the Battle for Racial Justice in the North

by Michelle Adams

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Sylvonna said: " As a Black female lawyer who was born and raised in Metro Detroit, this book obviously was one that resonated with me. What I will say, however, is that...even as someone who is used to doing lots of legal reading, research, and analysis, there were As a Black female lawyer who was born and raised in Metro Detroit, this book obviously was one that resonated with me. What I will say, however, is that...even as someone who is used to doing lots of legal reading, research, and analysis, there were a lot of times this book seemed to drag on and lose my attention because it felt repetitive and almost TOO detailed. I will give the author major credit though, because she is incredibly thorough.

This is an important and extremely detailed history of litigation that has had a MAJOR impact on our society, and seems especially relevant today given how our country seems to be quickly inching toward even greater divides than we have ever seen. The ripple effect the court cases had did not just impact Detroit, it impacted almost all of our major metropolitan areas in this country and continues to do so. Learning about how things happened, and WHY , provided a lot of context I had never really known as someone who was not born until after much of these cases had been well settled in the courts.

Outside of the work of the Kerner Commission, I do not think a more thorough explanation of racism and the way it is entrenched in our society, and the way it continues to be perpetuated, has ever been provided than the argument presented by the attorneys in the Bradley v Milliken case. The fact that we are STILL dealing with the same problems in our education systems shows how far ahead of their time they were when outlining, in such exceedingly clear terms, that MAJOR reform is required in order for all youth to have the equal educational opportunities that they deserve (and that will be required for our country to progress in the right direction). It is almost heartbreaking thinking of how radical this case could have been, and how revolutionary Judge Roth was in his ruling, and yet seeing things still being very much in the same condition as they were over 50 years ago.

I would definitely qualify this as highly recommended reading (maybe even mandatory), but would caution prospective readers with a warning that it can feel like it is dragging, it can feel repetitive, and may be a bit daunting, and possibly even confusing, for those who are not quite as familiar with legal jargon and the process of litigation as the cases move through all of the different courts. ...more "

Mar 01, 2026 01:10PM · see review

Sylvonna is currently reading

Salvation: Black People and Love

by bell hooks

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Aug 13, 2022 10:34PM

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Becoming

by Michelle Obama (Goodreads Author)

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Jan 22, 2019 12:16PM

Sylvonna’s Quotes

“Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to reform (or pause and reflect).”
― Mark Twain

tags: individuality, majority, minority, pause, reflect, wisdom

43933 likes

“I'm for truth, no matter who tells it. I'm for justice, no matter who it is for or against. I'm a human being, first and foremost, and as such I'm for whoever and whatever benefits humanity as a whole.”
― Malcolm X

tags: activism, truth

2308 likes