"In We've Got To Try, O'Rourke shines a spotlight on the heroic life and work of Dr. Lawrence Aaron Nixon and the west Texas town where he made his stand. The son of an enslaved man, Nixon grew up in the Confederate stronghold of Marshall, Texas before moving to El Paso, becoming a civil rights leader, and helping to win one of the most significant civil and voting rights victories in American history: the defeat of the all-white primary. His fight for the ballot spanned 20 years and twice took him to the U.S. Supreme Court. With heart, eloquence, and powerful storytelling, O'Rourke weaves together Nixon's story with those of other great Texans who changed the course of voting rights and improved America's democracy. While connecting voting rights and democracy to the major issues of our time, O'Rourke also shares what he saw, heard, and learned while on his own journey throughout the 254 counties of his home state. By telling the stories of those he met along the way and bringing us into the epicenter of the current fight against voter suppression, the former El Paso Congressman shows just how essential it is that the sacred right to vote is protected and that we each do our part to save our democracy for generations to come"--
Record details
ISBN:1250852455
ISBN:9781250852458
Physical Description:viii, 211 pages ; 25 cm print
Edition:First edition.
Publisher:New York : Flatiron Books, [2022]
Content descriptions
Bibliography, etc. Note:
Includes bibliographical references (pages 189-211).
Formatted Contents Note:
I've got to try -- Nixon's court battles -- Cooke County -- Pecos County -- La Salle County -- Fort Bend County -- The border, part 1 -- The border, part 2 -- Overcoming -- Today.