New Book Examines A Century Of Civil Rights Gains & Challenges

With the support of, the Anti-Defamation League, Smolan created The Good Fight:  America's Ongoing Struggle For Justice (Sterling Publishing, Hardcover $35.00; 258 pages; ISBN: 978-1454927341), a best-selling book chronicling the long civil rights struggle in America..

The Good Fight captures the sporadically violent, often triumphant, always risky struggles of Americans who have experienced hatred, oppression or bigotry because of their gender, skin color, country of origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability or beliefs over the past 100 years.  It includes many stories that are illustrated by more than 180 memorable photographs and nearly 60 embedded videos.

"Given the events of this past year when we experienced a resurgence of anti-Semitism, racism and prejudice across America, this book couldn't be more timely," says Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO and National Director of the Anti-Defamation League, "This book reminds us that the hard fought battles in this country to achieve true civil rights for all Americans came at a tremendous price, and we need to defend those hard-won victories to ensure a brighter future for our children."

The book's featured contributors and essayists include: Bret Stephens, a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for The New York Times; Todd Brewster, an award-winning journalist, best-selling author and historian; Bryan Stevenson, best-selling author and founder of the Equal Justice Initiative, Jonathan Broder, award-winning journalist, formerly of NPR and Newsweek, Ray Suarez, best-selling author and former correspondent for PBS News Hour and NPR's Talk of the Nation and Tiffany Shlain, Emmy-nominated filmmaker and founder of The Webby Awards.

"When Jonathan and I first conceived The Good Fight,, we envisioned it as a retrospective, a book of history to remind every American of the inspiring progress made over the past century and to acknowledge how much further we as a nation still need to go," says Smolan. "We hope this book will prompt readers to appreciate how much work remains to be done."

"'The Good Fight' comes at a pivotal moment in our country when the struggle for equal rights remains not just a legacy of history, but is very much a current event," says Greenblatt. "We cannot attain true civil rights in America without knowing and remembering our history and the struggles of our forbearers. This amazing retelling of America's civil rights story highlights the many moments that transformed America. These are the stories of the achievements that moved us closer to the goal of a society free of prejudice and hatred, and where all people have access to a life of freedom, equality and dignity."

More information can be found at www.thegoodfightbook.org

The Anti-Defamation League was founded in 1913 to stop the defamation of the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment to all.  Today it is the world's leading organization combating anti-Semitism, exposing hate groups, training law enforcement on hate crimes, developing anti-bias curricula for students, countering cyber-hate and relentlessly pursuing equal rights for all. Follow us on Twitter: @ADL_National

Rick Smolan, CEO of Against All Odds Productions, is a #1 New York Times best-selling author with more than five million copies of his books in print. A former Time, LIFE, and National Geographic photographer, Smolan is best known as the co-creator of the "Day in the Life" book series. More than a million people have watched Smolan's "Natasha's Story" on TED.com (www.NatashaStory.com). Fortune magazine describes Against All Odds Productions, as "One of the 25 Coolest Companies in America." www.AgainstAllOdds.com 

Contact: MEDIA CONNECT
Brian Feinblum [email protected]    212-583-2718

SOURCE Anti-Defamation League