Acclaimed Journalist Juan Williams Presents a Follow-Up to “Eyes on the Prize”

St. Louis County Library Foundation’s Westfall Politics & History Series is pleased to host award-winning journalist and historian Juan Williams for a discussion and signing of “New Prize for These Eyes: The Rise of America’s Second Civil Rights Movement.”

The event will take place on Wednesday, January 29, 7:00 p.m. at the Clark Family Branch, 1640 S. Lindbergh Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63131. Books will be available for purchase and signing from EyeSeeMe.

In this highly anticipated follow-up to the pioneering book and documentary film “Eyes on the Prize,” bestselling author Juan Williams turns his attention to the rise of a new 21st-century civil rights movement.

More than a century of civil rights activism reached a mountaintop with the arrival of a Black man in the Oval Office. But hopes for a unified, post-racial America were deflated when Barack Obama’s presidency met with furious opposition. A backlash was brewing, and a volcanic new movement—a second civil rights movement—began to erupt.

In “New Prize for These Eyes,” Williams shines a light on this historic, new movement. In the 20th century, Black activists and their white allies called for equal rights and an end to segregation. They appealed to the Declaration of Independence’s defiant assertion that “all men are created equal.” They prioritized legal battles in the courtroom and legislative victories in Congress. Today’s movement is dealing with new realities. The new generation is social media savvy, and they have an agenda fueled by discontent with systemic racism and the persistent scourge of police brutality. Today’s activists are making history in a new economic and cultural landscape, and they are using a new set of tools and strategies to do so.

Williams traces the arc of this new civil rights era, from Obama to Charlottesville to January 6th and a Confederate flag in the Capitol. An essential read for activists, historians, and anyone passionate about America’s future, “New Prize for These Eyes” is a forward-looking call to action, urging Americans to get in touch with the progress made and hurdles yet to be overcome.

Juan Williams is the author of the bestselling civil rights history “Eyes on the Prize: America’s Civil Rights Years 1954–1965,” which accompanied the PBS series of the same name. He also wrote the landmark biography of the first African American on the Supreme Court, “Thurgood Marshall: American Revolutionary,” as well as “Muzzled: The Assault on Honest Debate.” 

Williams worked for The Washington Post as a celebrated national political correspondent, White House correspondent, and editorial writer. His NPR talk show took ratings to a new high. He is currently senior political analyst for Fox News Channel and a columnist for The Hill.

Program sites are accessible. With at least two weeks' notice, accommodations will be made for persons with disabilities. Call 314-994-3300 or contact us.