Review: We Can Do It: The Troubled Story of School Desegregation in Alachua County, Florida

We Can Do It: The Troubled Story of School Desegregation in Alachua County, Florida by Michael T. Gengler
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a very long and exhaustive look at the equally long and exhaustive work to desegregate the schools in Alachua County, Florida in the late 60s and early 70s. Deeply segregated until that time, Alachua County, Florida which includes Gainesville, had several schools with quite a bit of history. Many people, including students in both white and black schools, did not want to integrate. There were many obstacles that the community faced to become a unitary school system. Not only did the students need to integrate, but teachers and administrators too. Some schools were forced to close and new schools were added. There were protests, riots, and eventually assimilation. It was quite an undertaking but as the students once stated: "We Can Do It."

This was an interesting look at the challenges one community faced to integrate. Many faced the same challenges throughout the south in the mid-20th century. This is a good book, a good case study for scholars of Civil Rights and those interested in the process to integrate southern schools. I'm glad I read it but it was very long. I felt the author went on a few tangents that were unnecessary, over-quoted sources, and could have condensed a lot and still offered an accurate portrait of the issues that were faced in Alachua County.

I received this book gratis through Goodreads Giveaways.

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