So the dean took the proposal to the college president, John Sloan Dickey, a staunch advocate of social justice, who had been on President Truman’s Committee on Civil Rights. “My feeling was that we could admit people who had demonstrated ability in other areas of life,” he recalled in a recent interview. And, oh yes, they were Vice Lords, which was, and remains, one of the biggest and most notorious street gangs in Chicago.ĭey was still interested. Their academic preparation was definitely not up to Dartmouth standards, but they were street-smart and were excellent public speakers. But finding such students and uprooting them to study in an all-white world had been exceedingly difficult Dartmouth’s minority enrollment, like that at most mainstream institutions in the United States, was minuscule.īeall argued that these kids from North Lawndale had raw native intelligence. Deeply committed to public service, Dey was among many educators seeking qualified black students to integrate their campuses. He insisted they could make it at Dartmouth and deserved the chance.Ĭharles Dey, the powerful Dartmouth associate dean, was listening. He had met them while shooting a film on the West Side. DeWitt Beall, class of ’62, said he had candidates in mind. He wanted to take poor African American kids from the streets of North Lawndale, Chicago’s roughest neighborhood, and enroll them at the Ivy League institution in small-town Hanover, New Hampshire. "About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.In 1967, a young adman living in Chicago paid a visit to his alma mater, Dartmouth College, to discuss an idea that seemed preposterous at the time. This book reveals a powerful strategy for building our nation's most under-resourced communities." - Wendy Kopp, Teach For America "Everyone interested in decreasing the racial and economic tensions that divide our country must read A Nation of Lords. This is a great book, a timeless story of people and power with important implications for public policy." - Marty Russo, Retired member of Congress Like everybody else who knew Lawndale in the Sixties, I have no idea how he survived. House of Representatives, I know from experience that the streets where Dawley worked are not friendly to strangers. Having been a Cook County prosecutor before serving in the U.S. "Dawley deserves recognition not just for the programs he developed as 'a white Vice Lord,' but for taking readers into Chicago's toughest streets without getting them hurt. This book should be read by everyone who cares about our cities." - James Diego Vigil, UCLA "A Nation of Lords reminds us that something can be done if the will and resources are made available to turn matters around.
Calhoun, National Crime Prevention Council With the atomizing of family and neighborhood, we need public attention to this issue now more than ever." - John A. "A Nation of Lords is hard-hitting, persuasive and appeals both to those on the program and policy level. to increase our efforts to help the youth of America." - Jack Kemp The voices in A Nation of Lords need to be heard, and Dawley's incredible adventure in the Sixties should inspire all of us. David Dawley's work as a community organizer is testimony to the power of individual commitment, and the success of the Vice Lords demonstrates that neighborhoods can be revitalized and lives can be saved when people of all ages have a stake in their community. "A Nation of Lords is an important contribution to understanding survival on the most dangerous streets in America-a book that provides insight into the problems facing young people living in cities throughout America.
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