Dr. Frederick W. Gooding, Jr.

Frederick W. Gooding, Jr. is an Assistant Professor within the Honors College at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, TX. A trained historian armed with his Ph.D. from Georgetown University, Gooding most effectively analyzes contemporary mainstream media with a careful eye for persistent patterns along racial lines that appear benign but indeed have problematic historical roots. As such, Gooding’s most well-known work thus far is "You Mean, There’s RACE in My Movie? The Complete Guide to Understanding Race in Mainstream Hollywood." His next book, "American Dream Deferred" about the growth and struggles of black federal workers in the postwar era, will be released in December 2018.

"What's the Secret Ingredient to the Civil Rights Movement?"

In a land filled with opportunity, the "American Dream" has been an indelible part of our socio-economic landscape. The idea that one can come as they are, work as hard as they can, and enjoy all the fruits of their labor without apology still endures. Perhaps nowhere is this idea truer than with black federal workers, who helped rapidly expand the middle class after World War II. In our nation's capital, black workers literally became the face of the federal government and changed the look and feel of our nation's operations from a segregated workplace to an integrated work space. Despite such changes, many blacks continued to economically suffer from what poet Langston Hughes described as a "Dream Deferred," or slower raises and lower wages while performing the same jobs as other Americans. This book brings to light the story of a possible "secret ingredient to the civil rights movement," or largely unheralded, unknown and unwavering source of democratic accountability embodied by our black public sector workers during their quest for dignity and respect.

New Release, December 2018, University of Pittsburgh Press