Built by the People Themselves

"Built by the People Themselves is a creative study of African Americans as 'city-builders,' despite ongoing social, economic, and political injustice in their everyday lives, families, and communities."—Joe William Trotter Jr., director and founder of Carnegie Mellon University's Center for Africanamerican Urban Studies and the Economy (CAUSE) and author of Workers on Arrival: Black Labor in the Making of America.

"The challenges faced by African American communities in burgeoning suburban environments are not as frequently studied as those faced by their urban counterparts. In Built by the People Themselves Lindsey Bestebreurtje has sensitively and assiduously delved into the self-preservation strategies used by historic African American neighborhoods in Arlington, Virginia. Through exhaustive research Bestebreurtje provides insight into the evolving tactics used by Black residents to blunt efforts to destroy their homes and their community institutions."—Spencer R. Crew, Clarence J. Robinson, Professor of History, George Mason University