Donovan X. Ramsey When Crack Was King

About the author:

Donovan X. Ramsey is a journalist and author who explores issues of race, politics, and patterns of power in America. His reporting has appeared in the New York Times, the Atlantic, GQ, WSJ, Ebony, and Essence. He has been a staff reporter at the Los Angeles Times, NewsOne, and TheGrio and has served as an editor at the Marshall Project and Complex. Ramsey holds a master’s from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and a bachelor’s in psychology from Morehouse College.

About the book:

The crack epidemic of the 1980s and ’90s is arguably the least examined crisis in American history. Using the myths inspired by Reagan’s war on drugs as a starting point, journalist Donovan X. Ramsey’s exacting analysis traces the path from the last triumphs of the civil rights movement to the devastating realities we live with today: a racist criminal justice system, continued gentrification and mass incarceration, and increased police brutality. Weaving together riveting research with the voices of survivors, When Crack Was King is a crucial reevaluation of the era and a powerful argument for providing historically violated communities with the resources they deserve.

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