Slavery by Another Name: The Re-Enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II

Douglas A. Blackmon (b. 1964) is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American writer, journalist, and academic known for his significant contributions to understanding racial injustices in American history. His first book, Slavery by Another Name, is considered a groundbreaking work that exposes the forced labor system that persisted in the American South well into the 20th century, long after the formal abolition of slavery. Through meticulous research, the book reveals how African Americans were subjected to peonage, convict leasing, and other forms of involuntary servitude, often with the complicity of local governments and businesses, to recreate the conditions of slavery in practice if not in name.

Growing up in the Mississippi Delta in the 1960s and 1970s, Blackmon saw racial injustice firsthand, and this provided the inspiration for his research into the history and legacy of slavery in the United States. In his work, Blackmon contends with his own status as a white man from the South, including his family’s history of fighting for the Confederacy.

Before writing Slavery by Another Name, Blackmon had an extensive career in journalism. He worked for several major newspapers, including The Wall Street Journal, where he served as the Atlanta Bureau Chief and the Senior National Correspondent. In this role, Blackmon reported on major topics, including 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, the election of President Obama, and generally on race, economics, and social issues, all of which inform his work on historical injustice.

Blackmon's work is crucial to modern political justice because it uncovers the systemic racism that has shaped American society and its enduring legacy. By bringing these histories to light, he challenges contemporary audiences to confront and address the structural inequalities that continue to affect African Americans and the country at large. Blackmon is a Professor of Practice in Multimedia and Investigative Journalism in Georgia State University’s Creative Media Industries Institute.