The year 1970 was one of hope in the civil rights movement in education, politics, and the arts. In January, Dr. Clifton Wharton, Jr., became the first African American president of Michigan State University. The first publication of Essence magazine launched in May, focusing on culture, beauty, fashion, and entertainment for Black women in America. In June, Kenneth Allen Gibson was elected as the first African American mayor of a major Northeast city — Newark, New Jersey. And in August, Charles Edward Gordone became the first African American playwright to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his play, No Place to Be Somebody, about a Black bartender trying to survive in New York City. This detailed account explains why 1970 was such a critical year in the civil rights movement. AVAILABLE APRIL 2023