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Under the pressure of petitioning activists, McDonald’s reluctantly began the installment of Black franchise owners in predominantly Black neighborhoods.īut, with the exodus of middle-class white patrons from racially diverse communities during the social unrest following the 1968 assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., McDonald’s storefronts were left standing empty in largely Black, inner-city communities. “Franchise” incisively depicts how corporate greed has historically been interwoven into the fast-food franchise’s role in civil rights activism, exploring the corporate greed and fundamental government neglect that drove inner cities toward the private sector for basic resources.īeginning with the post-war boom of white patrons in suburban Southern California, the roadside fast-food restaurants quickly became the scene of sit-ins against racial segregation for customers in the Jim Crow South. “It was a beautiful, pleasant surprise,” Chatelain said, “and an opportunity to reflect on how grateful you are for the people who have supported you and can celebrate with you.”įollowing the 2015 publication of her debut book, “South Side Girls: Growing Up in the Great Migration,” Chatelain’s “Franchise” offers an illuminating exploration of the complex relationship between McDonald’s and African-American communities. While her initial reaction may have been of disbelief for such incredible success, it was also an exhilarating, deeply meaningful moment of recognition that Chatelain felt immensely proud of and grateful for.

With the country just beginning to emerge from the pandemic, the process of receiving the award has remained entirely virtual, making the experience all the more surreal, she added.

Who thinks that (they’re) going to win a Pulitzer prize? It was just so weird,” Chatelain recounted with a smile. On Friday June 11, while feeding her infant son a bottle, Brown University alum and Georgetown University professor Marcia Chatelain PhD ’08 found out via Twitter that she had become a Pulitzer Prize winner in History for her second book, “Franchise: The Golden Arches in Black America.” Chatelain has become the second-ever African American woman to claim the award in the History category.