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There are reasons why teachers usually provide their students with firsthand accounts when teaching historical events and issues such as the Holocaust or slavery. When Crack Was King, importantly, follows in that vein, showcasing the material impact of various policies, or lack thereof, as well as the impact of drugs themselves.

Donovan X. Ramsey is a journalist and author on issues of race, politics, and how power manifests itself in America. He’s been an integral voice for the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, NewsOne, theGrio, and more.

In 2015, Ramsey decided to take a deep-dive into the crack epidemic: what it was, where it came from, and how it spread. He wanted to understand why one community would be so deeply affected by it, while others were not. His intention was never to write a book, but I’m so glad that he did.

Ramsey takes us on a journey from the development of crack from freebase, its spread across America, policy responses to the crack epidemic, the fear mongering about crack, and how the crack epidemic essentially resolved itself. On one hand, Ramsey’s book is a history lesson; on the other, it’s an account of four people during the epidemic — an addict, two dealers, and a politician.

What I appreciate is the combination of reporting and history, as well as the personal stories of those who survived to tell about it. This is a book that needs to be required reading for college or upper-level high school classes. It is clear and concise, and it has emotional impact.

In the 1970s, there was a sentiment that the Black American could do anything if given the opportunity. Unfortunately, many were not given that opportunity. According to Ramsey, “Unbridled ambition requires a vehicle. Without one, it can torture those who have it, perverting their judgment until ambition meets opportunity and is finally satisfied. It seems that’s what happened for many young Blacks in the late 1970s determined to let ‘nothin’, nothin’’ stand in their way. Cocaine seemed tailor-made for the moment.” 

I was a teenager when the “Just Say No” campaign was launched. Police officers came to my school to deliver an anti-drug message and played a video clip with Nancy Reagan. They gave us posters of a K-9 police dog sniffing for drugs and shared their experiences of what they dealt with on the street. They arrived in a car that had DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) on its side. I remember their message being vague and sugar-coated. What was clear was that the majority of us were Black, and we knew that drugs either made your brain fry like that egg in the skillet or die.

From the perspective of white America, Reagan’s message looked much worse — frightening, damaging, and a child-friendly way to justify and perpetuate the “war on drugs” with racially and economically disproportional targets. The “Just Say No” plead fails miserably in comparison to the opioid epidemic today.

Cocaine, or crack after the crackling sound it makes while cooking, spread through urban America in the 1970s, relieving the pain of those who could get it. As with so much in our culture, cocaine was taken both too seriously and not seriously enough. Black America was seen by white America as pathetic and degenerate, while white America refused to take any of the blame onto themselves for decades of systematic racism.

Ramsey seamlessly integrates the history of “the war on drugs” with personal accounts in the narrative. Instead of just reading the facts from a distance, we can experience with heart-wrenching clarity why people used cocaine. The narratives helped this book of over 350 pages become more readable rather than just being a non-fiction attack that would be difficult to digest. The narratives were much needed after such political chapters with Iran-Contra, Nixon, Reagan (War on Drugs), and now Biden.

I also appreciated the way in which Ramsey sympathizes with the plight of those caught up in the crack epidemic while remaining crystal clear about what crack did and how it affected people, families, and communities. He does well at scrutinizing the crack epidemic in terms of the post-industrialization of American urban areas and the heavy-handed response against Black liberation movements of the 1970s. He discusses the belief that crack flooded the cities because of CIA actions; he concludes it was not a deliberate policy but something the government was more than happy to look past even while they demonized and criminalized those who used crack. He provides us with conclusions for each of the four people, and how the next generation avoided crack after seeing what it had done to those who had come before them.

If I had any nitpick with this book it has to do with the four people who were chosen. It should be noted that Ramsey treats all four with the utmost respect. But there are three men and just one woman who happens to be the addict. This is not necessarily a problem, and her story, because of who she becomes, is vitally important. I would have just liked to see another non-addict female voice to balance out the male voices. I do love the fact that Ramsey included a politician; that provides a unique use of the narratives because we are getting different perspectives from all sides of the issue.

The truth is, our criminal justice system continues to fail Black Americans. When Crack Was King is an important read so that we as a society can learn from mistakes to better conquer the current opioid crisis and actually make a difference. The last chapter gives uplifting statistics regarding crime, but there is still much work to be done. 

I give the book a 5/5 stars and recommend it to anyone interested in the politics of addiction and crime, as well as the history of how cocaine impacted Black America.

When Crack Was King is available July 11, 2023, on Amazon.