Scripps College Professor Writes Book Examining Hidden History of Racial Segregation on 1950s ?American Bandstand?

CLAREMONT, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Matt Delmont, assistant professor of American studies at Scripps College, never questioned Dick Clark?s claim that ?American Bandstand? was racially integrated in the 1950s until Delmont?s research turned up new evidence. He wrote a book about the TV show because it was one of his mother?s favorites, and he grew up listening to her memories of ?American Bandstand.?

?My book explains how ?American Bandstand? shaped the image of American teenagers while also becoming a battleground for segregation and civil rights.?

?My research reveals how ?American Bandstand? discriminated against black youth during its early years and how black teens and civil rights advocates protested this discrimination,? Delmont says. ?My book explains how ?American Bandstand? shaped the image of American teenagers while also becoming a battleground for segregation and civil rights.?

In ?The Nicest Kids in Town: American Bandstand, Rock ?n? Roll, and the Struggle for Civil Rights in 1950s Philadelphia,? (University of California Press: 2012), Delmont asserts that ?American Bandstand,? the first national television program for teens, was out of step with desegregation. The book, released during Black History Month, also examines the civil rights activism of black deejays like Georgie Woods and Mitch Thomas, whose televised teen dance show debuted 15 years before ?Soul Train? and influenced the dance styles on ?American Bandstand.?

Delmont?s exhaustive research includes government reports, census data, high school yearbooks, photographs, songs, and other original sources. He also interviewed 21 individuals who grew up in Philadelphia and attended, watched, or protested the TV show.

The book will be released Feb. 24. To schedule an interview with Delmont, please call Rosa Maria Santana at 909-607-7177. Visit Delmont?s Web site to view early clips of ?American Bandstand.?

Scripps College, founded in 1926, is a nationally top-ranked liberal arts college and a member of The Claremont Colleges. With approximately 950 students, Scripps College offers an intense learning experience with small classes on a campus famous for its beauty. As part of a consortium with four other colleges in immediate proximity and two graduate institutions, Scripps offers its students the benefits of a larger university, with shared facilities, co-curricular activities, and ability to cross-register at any or all of the colleges. The mission of the College is to develop in its students the ability to think clearly and independently, and the ability to live confidently, courageously, and hopefully.

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