Podcast appearances and mentions of joshua clark davis

Police Against the Movement: The Sabotage of the Civil Rights Struggle and the Activists Who Fought Back (Princeton UP, 2025) shatters one of the most pernicious myths about the 1960s: thast the civil rights movement endured police violence without fighting it. Instead, as Joshua Clark Davis shows, activists from the Congress of Racial Equality and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee confronted police abuses head-on, staging sit-ins at precinct stations, picketing outside department headquarters, and blocking city streets to protest officer misdeeds. In return, organizers found themselves the targets of overwhelming political repression in the form of police surveillance, infiltration by undercover officers, and retaliatory prosecutions aimed at discrediting and derailing their movement. The history of the civil rights era abounds with accounts of physical brutality by county sheriffs and tales of political intrigue and constitutional violations by FBI agents. Turning our attention to municipal officials in cities and towns across the US—North, South, East, and West—Davis reveals how local police bombarded civil rights organizers with an array of insidious weapons. More than just physical violence, these economic, legal, and reputational attacks were designed to project the illusion of color-blind law enforcement. The civil rights struggle against police abuses is largely overlooked today, the victim of a willful campaign by local law enforcement to erase their record of repression. By placing activism against state violence at the center of the civil rights story, Police Against the Movement offers critical insight into the power of political resistance in the face of government attacks on protest. Guest: Joshua Clark Davis Blackmer (he/him) is an associate professor of U.S. history at the University of Baltimore. Davis is also the author of an earlier book, From Head Shops to Whole Foods, which examines organic food stores, feminist enterprises, Black bookstores and other businesses that emerged from movements of the ‘60s and ‘70s. His research has earned awards from the Fulbright Program, the Silvers Foundation, and the NEH Public Scholars Program, and he has written for The Atlantic, The Nation, Slate, Jacobin, and The Washington Post, and that work has been featured in The New York Times and CNN among other venues. Host: Michael Stauch (he/him) is an associate professor of history at the University of Toledo and the author of Wildcat of the Streets: Detroit in the Age of Community Policing, published by the University of Pennsylvania Press in 2025. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/african-american-studies

While each period is historically unique, veterans and scholars of the civil rights movement say there are some important similarities between the era of Jim Crow and racial segregation and our current moment. One similarity, as author and professor Joshua Clark Davis notes, is the role that local law enforcement plays in enforcing regimes of racial oppression and attacking the movements opposed to them. But, as civil rights Icon Judy Richardson argues, there are also critical similarities when it comes to organizing and executing successful resistance efforts then and now. In this extended episode of The Marc Steiner Show, Marc speaks with Richardson and Davis about the hardwon lessons from the civil rights movement that must be applied to the growing anti-authoritarianism movement today. Guests:Judy Richardson is an American documentary filmmaker and civil rights activist. She was an early participant in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) from 1963 to 1966 and was mentored by Ella Baker. Richardson was the educational director for the PBS docuseries Eyes on the Prize, widely recognized as the most important documentary ever produced on the Civil Rights movement, and she co-edited the book Hands on the Freedom Plow: Personal Accounts By Women in SNCC. She was a distinguished visiting lecturer of Africana Studies at Brown University.Joshua Clark Davis is associate professor of US history at the University of Baltimore. He's the author of multiple books, including Police Against The Movement: The Sabotage of the Civil Rights Struggle and the Activists Who Fought Back, a retelling of the civil rights movement through its overlooked work against police violence—and the police who attacked the movement with surveillance, undercover agents, and retaliatory prosecutions.Additional resources:Joshua Clark Davis, Princeton University Press, Police Against the Movement: The Sabotage of the Civil Rights Struggle and the Activists Who Fought BackJudy Richardson, “SNCC changed me forever”Credits:Producer: Rosette SewaliStudio Production: Cameron GranadinoAudio Post-Production: Stephen FrankFollow The Marc Steiner Show on Spotify Follow The Marc Steiner Show on Apple PodcastsHelp us continue producing The Marc Steiner Show by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer.Sign up for our newsletterFollow us on:Bluesky: @therealnews.comFacebook: The Real News NetworkTwitter: @TheRealNewsYouTube: @therealnewsInstagram: @therealnewsnetworkHelp us continue producing radically independent news and in-depth analysis by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer.Follow us on:Bluesky: @therealnews.comFacebook: The Real News NetworkTwitter: @TheRealNewsYouTube: @therealnewsInstagram: @therealnewsnetworkBecome a member and join the Supporters Club for The Real News Podcast today!

On Tuesday's show: A strike by hotel workers at Hilton-Americas Houston has ended after 40 days. Late last week, the parties reached a deal to raise wages for housekeepers, stewards, and laundry attendants in a result that could have repercussions for the rest of Houston's hospitality industry -- and for labor in general. We learn the details of the deal and discuss what it means.Also this hour: A new book called Police Against the Movement explores police violence during the Civil Rights Movement with some focus on how the Houston Police Department tried to undermine activism here at the time.And, every week across Greater Houston, vendors visit festivals and other events to sell their wares. We visit the recent Bayou City Art Festival to talk to vendors about what that life is like.Watch

Today, Hunter was joined by Professor Joshua Clark Daivs to discuss his new book, Police Against the Movement. In the book, Professor Davis tells the often forgotten story of how police departments surveilled, infiltrated, and sabotaged civil rights movements that challenged the power of police.   Guest: Joshua Clark Davis, Professor of History, University of Baltimore   Resources: Professor Davis's Website https://www.joshuaclarkdavis.com/   Get a Copy of The Book https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691238838/police-against-the-movement?srsltid=AfmBOorTFXbO1NSyZI4MTU28xSTq8YPHteKdKCkwWICdD6Gw1zTjdbvP Follow Josh on Blue Sky https://bsky.app/profile/joshuaclarkdavis.bsky.social Twitter https://x.com/joshclarkdavis       Contact Hunter Parnell:                                 Publicdefenseless@gmail.com  Instagram @PublicDefenselessPodcast Twitter                                                                 @PDefenselessPod www.publicdefenseless.com  Subscribe to the Patreon www.patreon.com/PublicDefenselessPodcast  Donate on PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=5KW7WMJWEXTAJ Donate on Stripe https://donate.stripe.com/7sI01tb2v3dwaM8cMN Trying to find a specific part of an episode? Use this link to search transcripts of every episode of the show! https://app.reduct.video/o/eca54fbf9f/p/d543070e6a/share/c34e85194394723d4131/home  

We time travel to one of the Grateful Dead's most legendary shows, the 1972 benefit that saved the Springfield Creamery, featuring eyewitness accounts of heads freaking freely in the scorching heat amid some of the most incandescent jams of the band's career.Guests: David Lemieux, Johnny Dwork, Justin Kreutzmann, Chuck Kesey, Sue Kesey, Mike Sherwood, Dave tharp, Joshua Clark Davis, Nancy Hamren, Richard Sutton, Larry Roberts, Jay Kerley, David Koranda, Strider Brown, Sam field, Adrian Marin, Camille Cole, Al Strobel, Dano Hikinin, Michele Lefowith, Don Witten, and Mango ManSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Deadcast explores the backdrop for one the Grateful Dead's most extraordinary shows, saving the Springfield Creamery at an off-the-grid potluck picnic amid Merry Pranksters, colorful commune dwellers, & innovative yogurt pioneers during the heady summer of 1972.GUESTS: Chuck Kesey, Sue Kesey, Nancy Hamren, Huey Lewis, Sam Field, Al Strobel, Adrian Marin, Strider Brown, Richard Sutton, Camille Cole, Danno Hikinin, Michele Lefkowith, David Koranda, Lawrence Roberts, Don Witten, David Lemieux, Joshua Clark Davis, Johnny DworkSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hear from subject-matter experts on what you should be reading this summer. Guests include Dr. Brenda M. Greene; Prof. Joshua Clark Davis; Troy Johnson; and, Ramunda & Derrick Young.

This installment features an interview with Joshua Clark Davis, assistant professor of twentieth century United States history at the University of Baltimore and author of From Head Shops to Whole Foods: The Rise and Fall of Activist Entrepreneurs. In this episode, Davis discusses his new book, which focuses on the role of small businesses in political movements in the twentieth century, including feminist businesses, black nationalist bookstores, heads shops, and whole foods stores.

We review the book, From Head Shops to Whole Foods: The Rise and Fall of Activist Entrepreneurs by Joshua Clark Davis. You can find his article in the September issue of The Indypendent or on our website https://bit.ly/2p2VwLY To support this podcast and our publication, it´s as easy as visiting our Patreon page and becoming a monthly subscriber. bit.ly/2xsDpR Music by Bensound.com

In the 1960s and '70s, a diverse range of storefronts -- including head shops, African American bookstores, feminist businesses, and organic grocers -- brought the work of the New Left, Black Power, feminism, environmentalism and other movements into the marketplace. Through shared ownership, limited growth, and democratic workplaces, these activist entrepreneurs offered alternatives to conventional profit-driven corporate business models. By the middle of the 1970s,  thousands of these enterprises operated across the United States. But only a handful survive today. Some, such as Whole Foods Market, have abandoned their quest for collective political change in favor of maximizing profits.In From Head Shops to Whole Foods, Joshua Davis portrays the struggles, successes, and sacrifices of these unlikely entrepreneurs. The book challenges the widespread but mistaken idea that activism and political dissent are inherently antithetical to participation in the marketplace. Davis uncovers the historical roots of contemporary interest in ethical consumption, social enterprise, buying local, and mission-driven business.Joshua Clark Davis is assistant professor of history at the University of Baltimore.Marc Steiner, podcast host, radio host, and activist, introduces the event.Writers LIVE programs are supported in part by The Miss Howard Hubbard Adult Programming Fund.

In the 1960s and '70s, a diverse range of storefronts -- including head shops, African American bookstores, feminist businesses, and organic grocers -- brought the work of the New Left, Black Power, feminism, environmentalism and other movements into the marketplace. Through shared ownership, limited growth, and democratic workplaces, these activist entrepreneurs offered alternatives to conventional profit-driven corporate business models. By the middle of the 1970s,  thousands of these enterprises operated across the United States. But only a handful survive today. Some, such as Whole Foods Market, have abandoned their quest for collective political change in favor of maximizing profits.In From Head Shops to Whole Foods, Joshua Davis portrays the struggles, successes, and sacrifices of these unlikely entrepreneurs. The book challenges the widespread but mistaken idea that activism and political dissent are inherently antithetical to participation in the marketplace. Davis uncovers the historical roots of contemporary interest in ethical consumption, social enterprise, buying local, and mission-driven business.Joshua Clark Davis is assistant professor of history at the University of Baltimore.Marc Steiner, podcast host, radio host, and activist, introduces the event.Writers LIVE programs are supported in part by The Miss Howard Hubbard Adult Programming Fund.Recorded On: Tuesday, March 13, 2018

In From Head Shops to Whole Foods: The Rise and Fall of Activist Entrepreneurs (Columbia University Press, 2017), historian Joshua Clark Davis offers an unconventional history of the 1960s and 1970s by uncovering the work of activist entrepreneurs. These activists offered alternatives to conventional profit-driven corporate business models by opening up their own small businesses. It's a fascinating account that challenges the mistaken idea that activism and political dissent are inherently antithetical to participation in the marketplace.

In From Head Shops to Whole Foods: The Rise and Fall of Activist Entrepreneurs (Columbia University Press, 2017), historian Joshua Clark Davis offers an unconventional history of the 1960s and 1970s by uncovering the work of activist entrepreneurs. These activists offered alternatives to conventional profit-driven corporate business models by opening up their own small businesses. It's a fascinating account that challenges the mistaken idea that activism and political dissent are inherently antithetical to participation in the marketplace. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In From Head Shops to Whole Foods: The Rise and Fall of Activist Entrepreneurs (Columbia University Press, 2017), historian Joshua Clark Davis offers an unconventional history of the 1960s and 1970s by uncovering the work of activist entrepreneurs. These activists offered alternatives to conventional profit-driven corporate business models by opening up their own small businesses. It’s a fascinating account that challenges the mistaken idea that activism and political dissent are inherently antithetical to participation in the marketplace. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In From Head Shops to Whole Foods: The Rise and Fall of Activist Entrepreneurs (Columbia University Press, 2017), historian Joshua Clark Davis offers an unconventional history of the 1960s and 1970s by uncovering the work of activist entrepreneurs. These activists offered alternatives to conventional profit-driven corporate business models by opening up their own small businesses. It’s a fascinating account that challenges the mistaken idea that activism and political dissent are inherently antithetical to participation in the marketplace. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In From Head Shops to Whole Foods: The Rise and Fall of Activist Entrepreneurs (Columbia University Press, 2017), historian Joshua Clark Davis offers an unconventional history of the 1960s and 1970s by uncovering the work of activist entrepreneurs. These activists offered alternatives to conventional profit-driven corporate business models by opening up their own small businesses. It’s a fascinating account that challenges the mistaken idea that activism and political dissent are inherently antithetical to participation in the marketplace. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In From Head Shops to Whole Foods: The Rise and Fall of Activist Entrepreneurs (Columbia University Press, 2017), historian Joshua Clark Davis offers an unconventional history of the 1960s and 1970s by uncovering the work of activist entrepreneurs. These activists offered alternatives to conventional profit-driven corporate business models by opening up their own small businesses. It’s a fascinating account that challenges the mistaken idea that activism and political dissent are inherently antithetical to participation in the marketplace. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In From Head Shops to Whole Foods: The Rise and Fall of Activist Entrepreneurs (Columbia University Press, 2017), historian Joshua Clark Davis offers an unconventional history of the 1960s and 1970s by uncovering the work of activist entrepreneurs. These activists offered alternatives to conventional profit-driven corporate business models by opening up their own small businesses. It’s a fascinating account that challenges the mistaken idea that activism and political dissent are inherently antithetical to participation in the marketplace. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In From Head Shops to Whole Foods: The Rise and Fall of Activist Entrepreneurs (Columbia University Press, 2017), historian Joshua Clark Davis offers an unconventional history of the 1960s and 1970s by uncovering the work of activist entrepreneurs. These activists offered alternatives to conventional profit-driven corporate business models by opening up their own small businesses. It’s a fascinating account that challenges the mistaken idea that activism and political dissent are inherently antithetical to participation in the marketplace. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week at In The Past Lane, the American history podcast, I interview historian Joshua Clark Davis about his new book, From Head Shops to Whole Foods: The Rise and Fall of Activist Entrepreneurs. Davis takes us through a fascinating examination of 4 types of what he calls activist entrepreneurship: African American bookstores, feminist businesses, head shops, and organic food markets. His work challenges the notion that political activists on the left rejected capitalism and the market. Rather, they sought to use the market to further political change; and to demonstrate that businesses could be run in ways more humane, democratic, and community-oriented than traditional businesses that focused primarily on profits and growth. One of centerpiece features of this book is the story of the rise of Whole Foods in the late 1970s as an activist, alternative business that was dedicated to social change and how over time it morphed into a more traditional profit-seeking corporation. Among the many things discussed in this episode: Why some activists on the left in the 1960s and 1970s turned to small business enterprises as a way to build community and promote social change. How the growth of African American bookstores in the 1960s and 1970s was closely tied to the Black Power movement. Why the growth of head shops in the 1960s and 1970s represented more than merely the rise of marijuana use. How some feminists in the 1970s founded businesses like book stores and publishing houses to promote feminism, women’s voices, and independence. How activist entrepreneurs established bookstores and other enterprises to promote more a humane, democratic, and community-oriented business model that stood in contrast to traditional profit seeking one. How Whole Foods turned from being an activist, alternative business dedicated to social change to become a more traditional profit-seeking corporation. How large corporations have co-opted the language (“organic” and “artisan”) and image (“local” and “mission-driven”) of independent activist entrepreneur enterprises. How gentrification played a key role in reducing the number of independent activist entrepreneur enterprises like bookstores and organic food suppliers. About Joshua Clark Davis – website Further Reading Joshua Clark Davis, From Head Shops to Whole Foods: The Rise and Fall of Activist Entrepreneurs John Mackey and Rajendra Sisodia, Conscious Capitalism (2013) Music for This Episode Jay Graham, ITPL Intro (JayGMusic.com) Kevin McCleod, “Impact Moderato” (Free Music Archive) Lee Rosevere, “Going Home” (Free Music Archive) Jon Luc Hefferman “Winter Trek” (Free Music Archive) The Bell, “I Am History” (Free Music Archive) Production Credits Executive Producer: Lulu Spencer Technical Advisors: Holly Hunt and Jesse Anderson Podcasting Consultant: Darrell Darnell of Pro Podcast Solutions Photographer: John Buckingham Graphic Designer: Maggie Cellucci Website by: ERI Design Legal services: Tippecanoe and Tyler Too Social Media management: The Pony Express Risk Assessment: Little Big Horn Associates Growth strategies: 54 40 or Fight © Snoring Beagle International, 2017