There is a fundamental contradiction in U.S. Imperialism: the capital of this empire for

decades has had a majority Black population, which-in turn-has created favorable

conditions not only for the erosion of the pestilence that is racism but the flourishing of the

antidote that is radicalism.

In this sweeping history, Gerald Horne traces this phenomenon over a century, in a book

which should be understood and studied by all anti-imperialist and progressive forces. This

relatively small metropolis also has influenced profoundly its neighbors in Maryland and

Virginia, especially in the potent area of labor organizing.