Brooks and Fitrakis, A History of Hate in Ohio: Then and Now

Abstract

Reviewed by: A History of Hate in Ohio: Then and Now by Michael E. Brooks and Bob Fitrakis Jacob Smith A History of Hate in Ohio: Then and Now By Michael E. Brooks and Bob Fitrakis (Columbus: Ohio State University Press, 2021. Pp. vii, 243. Notes, bibliography, index. Paperbound, $24.95.) In Requiem for a Nun, author William Faulkner famously wrote: "The past is never dead. It's not even past." In A History of Hate in Ohio, Michael Brooks and Bob Fitrakis reveal a long history of hate speech and actions in Ohio that extends back hundreds of years and has a clear line to the present. Marilyn Howard begins the book with an introduction discussing important national events, like the election of Andrew Jackson and the 1876 election, that provide context for the rest of the book. While sparse in footnotes, this section is packed with information, setting the stage for the better documented chapters that follow. The book's first section, "Then," focuses on hate in Ohio from a historical perspective. As the authors aptly note, school children are often taught a "rosy, sanitized version" of Ohio history, where the North (and Ohio especially) appear in a positive light, while the South is framed negatively. The truth is far from that sanitized version of history. The book chronicles hate directed towards a variety of groups, including Indigenous people who were forced off their land, Black people, Jewish people, and Catholics. Brooks and Fitrakis provide strong evidence that early Ohio was anti-Black, drawing upon the "Black Laws" passed early in Ohio history that prevented Black Ohioans from voting and made it difficult for Black people to move to the state. This book is very dark reading and uses quotes that include disturbing words. Indeed, after the "n-word" is used in place of a direct quote on page seven, it is a bit jarring later in the book when the word is often quoted in the context of hate speech. (Readers should also know that the authors use [End Page 147] quotes containing other racial epithets to provide evidence of hate speech.) This section is impressive, covering a wide history that ends near the present. For example, Brooks notes that racist American Independence Party candidate George Wallace performed better in Ohio than in other midwestern states. The next section of the book, "Now," covers more recent Ohio (though it also reaches back into the previous period to provide relevant information). One strength of this section is that it divides the period into decades with subheadings, helping the reader understand that some of the events chronicled took place in their lifetime. Notably, while the focus of the book is mostly on people and groups that are broadly conceived as extremists, this section also discusses more "mainstream" Republican politicians. For example, Brooks and Fitrakis note that investigative reporter Russ Bellant discovered that Eastern and Central European former Nazis and fascists made financial contributions to George Voinovich's 1990 gubernatorial campaign. It would have been helpful, however, to include information about whether Voinovich returned the money and disavowed the contributors. Because this section covers the period up to the early 2020s, the authors could have provided a useful discussion of the notable political trend of Ohio gravitating toward Donald Trump in the 2016 election, and his almost equal success in the state in 2020. In total, however, this work will be of interest to anyone who wants to situate the hatred we see today in a broader history. Jacob Smith Duke University Copyright © 2022 Trustees of Indiana University