DOCSLIB.ORG

The Chicago Freedom Movement 40 Years Later: a Symposium

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text

Load more

Poverty & Race PRRAC POVERTY & RACE RESEARCH ACTION COUNCIL May/June 2006 Volume 15: Number 3 The Chicago Freedom Movement 40 Years Later: A Symposium Assessing the Chicago Freedom Movement by James Ralph The Chicago Freedom Movement membered today. While there are tion and the fifth edition of Out of was the most ambitious civil rights museums devoted to the famous civil Many. In each of these textbooks, mobilization ever launched in the rights campaigns in Montgomery, Bir- Martin Luther Kings and SCLCs North. The product of an alliance of mingham and Selma, Alabama, there earlier Birmingham and Selma cam- the Southern Christian Leadership is no museum commemorating the paigns are discussed. Even James Conference (SCLC) and the Coordi- Chicago Freedom Movement. In fact, Pattersons prizewinning history of nating Council of Community Orga- the city of Chicago lacks even historic America from 1945 to 1974, Grand nizations (CCCOa coalition of Chi- markers acknowledging the important Expectations, is silent on the Chicago cago civil rights groups), the Chicago sites of the Chicago movement. In movement. Freedom Movement lasted from 1965 Atlanta, the National Park Service A critical question, then, is how can to 1967. It built upon the hard work maintains the childhood home of Mar- this discrepancy in the public memory of the CCCO in contesting racial in- tin Luther King. In Memphis, the of the Chicago Freedom Movement equality in Chicago, especially in its Lorraine Motel, where King was as- and Kings and SCLCs other cam- public schools. And it attracted na- sassinated in 1968, is the centerpiece paigns be explained. tional attention in the summer of 1966 of an impressive civil rights museum. (Please turn to page 2) when it launched a series of marches In Chicago, by contrast, the North to expose persistent housing discrimi- Lawndale apartment building where nation in metropolitan Chicago. On King lived for a time in order to be one open-housing march, Martin close to African Americans confined Luther King, Jr. was struck on the to Chicagos West Side ghetto was CONTENTS: head by a rock. Frankly, he said, torn down many years ago and now is Chicago Freedom I have never seen as much hatred and a vacant lot. Movement................. 1 hostility on the part of so many The custodians of that deemed im- Human/Civil Rights people. portant in American historythe text- for Immigrants.......... 3 books and the surveyssecond this lack Katrina Blueprint of public acknowledgment of the Chi- for Ending Poverty .... 5 Faintly Remembered cago Freedom Movement. The fifth Today edition of Americas History does not PRRAC Update ........... 6 mention it. Nor does the most recent Witt Internships .......... 9 What is striking, on the occasion edition of American Journey. The New PRRAC Grants .. 18 of its 40th anniversary, is how faintly same is true for the second edition of Resources ................. 18 the Chicago Freedom Movement is re- American Destiny: Narrative of a Na- Poverty & Race Research Action Council 1015 15th Street NW Suite 400 Washington, DC 20005 202/906-8023 FAX: 202/842-2885 E-mail: [email protected] www.prrac.org Recycled Paper (RALPH: Continued from page 1) This bleak reading of the Chicago Branch has recently noted in his new Freedom Movement shaped the per- book, At Canaans Edge, its weak- The explanation stems in part from spective of the first major biography nesses disappeared in a rippling tide the popular judgment that the Chicago of King, written by David Levering that dissolved formal segregation by Freedom Movement was a defeat, es- Lewis in 1970. The Chicago debacle comprehensive national law. Though pecially compared to the Birmingham was how Lewis categorized its out- the Chicago Freedom Movement was and Selma initiatives. The verdict of come. Many later scholars arrived at part of the constellation of forces that failure circled the Chicago movement the same conclusion. In America in Our led to the passage of a federal fair hous- even before it came to an end. Dissat- Time, published in 1976, Godfrey ing law in 1968, housing discrimina- isfied activists helped to fuel such a Hodgson stated that Martin Luther tion, residential segregation and inner- reading when in the wake of the Sum- King went to Chicago and was routed city slums have not disappeared the mit Agreementa pact reached in late . Nearly a decade later, Alonzo way that segregated lunch counters and August 1966 between Martin Luther Hamby, in Liberalism and its Chal- blatantly racist voting registrars have. King, Al Raby (convenor of the lengers, concluded that the Chicago Even a recent outpouring of schol- CCCO) and other civil rights leaders, Freedom Movement undeniably was arship focusing on the Civil Rights and Mayor Richard J. Daley and civic, more failure than success. In the Movement in the North is unlikely to business and religious elites to bring a early 1990s, in his survey of the Civil boost the reputation of the Chicago halt to the open-housing marches and Rights Movement, Freedom Bound, Freedom Movement. New books like to take concrete steps to end the racial Robert Weisbrot argued that In many Matthew Countrymans Up South: divide in the regionthey decided to Civil Rights and Black Power in Phila- stage a march in Cicero, long known The Chicago Freedom delphia and Martha Biondis To Stand for its hostility toward blacks. and Fight: The Struggle for Civil Rights As Robert Lucas, who led the march Movement was the in Postwar New York City point to a in Cicero in September 1966, has most ambitious civil growing recognition of the importance stated, King went up against Richard rights mobilization ever and complexity of the fight for racial J. Daley, and he lost. Over the de- launched in the North. equality in the North. So rich is Jeanne cades, this assessment has been the Theoharis and Komozi Woodards dominant one in Chicago. Surveying Freedom North, a new collection of the state of the citys West Side 20 years respects, the Chicago freedom move- essays about Northern activism, that after the Chicago Freedom Movement, ment had emerged as a debacle to ri- the conventional view of the Civil one African-American resident con- val the Albany [GA] movement. Rights Movement as confined to the cluded, Nothing really happened. The assessment of the Chicago South in the 1950s and 1960s is des- And recently, Leon Despres, a sup- Freedom Movement as a defeat is not tined for revision. But the place of the porter of civil rights who opposed the the only reason for its diminished place Chicago Freedom Movement in this Daley administration during the 1960s, in the countrys public memory. That new scholarship is ambiguous. Putting has said that results of the Chicago cam- the Chicago movement was more fo- a spotlight on the Chicago campaign paign were not much of a victory for cused on changing local conditions than deflects attention from the wide array Martin Luther King, Jr. were the Birmingham campaign and of local movements in the North and especially the Selma campaign also suggests that Northern protest relied accounts for its modest national stand- on the influence of Martin Luther King Poverty and Race (ISSN 1075-3591) ing. During their initiatives in the and Southern-based civil rights orga- is published six times a year by the nizations. Poverty & Race Research Action Coun- South, King and SCLC were much cil, 1015 15th Street NW, Suite 400, more attentive to the national response Washington, DC 20005, 202/906- (and corrective federal legislation) than 8023, fax: 202/842-2885, E-mail: they were in Chicago. The Chicago An Alternative Reading [email protected]. Chester Hartman, campaign, they hoped, would inspire Editor. Subscriptions are $25/year, similar nonviolent movements in other The prevailing wisdom, then, is that $45/two years. Foreign postage extra. Northern cities. the Chicago Freedom Movement was Articles, article suggestions, letters and not one of the most noteworthy or sig- general comments are welcome, as are The Summit Agreement, which notices of publications, conferences, marked the end of the most active nificant episodes of recent history. job openings, etc. for our Resources phase of the Chicago Freedom Move- Yet looking back after 40 years, there Section. Articles generally may be re- ment, was in fact the strongest local is a strong case for an alternative read- printed, providing PRRAC gives ad- agreement King and SCLC had ever ing. vance permission. negotiated in any of their city projects. First, there is the overwhelming © Copyright 2006 by the Poverty The settlement that ended the Birming- evidence that the Chicago project & Race Research Action Council. All whose motto was End Slumswas rights reserved. ham campaign was fuzzier than the Summit Agreement. But, as Taylor (Please turn to page 7) 2 Poverty & Race Vol. 15, No. 3 May/June 2006 The National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, headed by PRRAC Board member Catherine Tactaquin, convened a series of discussions among members and partners around the current immigration proposals before Congress; the following Statement is the product of those meetings. Organizations and Individuals are requested to endorse the Statement (available in Spanish as well on their website, www.nnirr.org. Endorsement/inquires to [email protected]. National Statement to Support Human and Civil Rights for All Immigrants and to Oppose Compromise Immigration Reform Proposals April 2006 “Fair and Just out in the legislative process. These This year is the 20th anniversary of Immigration trade-offs and deals are based on elec- the 1986 legalization and employer Reform for All tion-year campaigning and demands by sanctions law, and the 10th anniver- business lobbyists, rather than on the sary of the restrictive Illegal Immigra- best interests and voices of immigrant We stand together as immigrant, tion Reform and Immigrant Respon- communities.
Recommended publications
  • American Prophet: Martin Luther King, Jr

    American Prophet: Martin Luther King, Jr

    American Prophet: Martin Luther King, Jr. By Sakuma Semba A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate School of the University of Colorado in Partial Fulfillment Of the requirement for the degree of Master of Arts Department of Religious Studies 2011 This thesis entitled: American Prophet: Martin Luther King, Jr. written by Sakuma Semba has been approved for the Department of Religious Studies Dr. Ira Chernus Dr. Greg Johnson Dr. Deborah Whitehead Date The final copy of this thesis has been examined by the signatories, and we Find that both the content and the form meet acceptable presentation standards Of scholarly work in the above mentioned discipline. Sakuma Semba (M.A., Department of Religious Studies) American Prophet: Martin Luther King, Jr. Thesis directed by Professor Ira Chernus Abstract: In August 2011, after more than two decades of planning, fund-raising and construction, the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial— a four-acre tract south of the Mall featuring a granite statue of King — has opened to the public. King is officially enshrined in granite in the National Mall. A black preacher became a monument, a monument represents America. King is the prophet of American Civil Religion. This paper examines Martin Luther King, Jr. as the prophet of America and in the context of American Civil Religion. To begin, I will explore the concepts and definitions of the prophet, the civil religion, and the American Creed by analyzing Max Weber, Robert Bellah, Martin Marty, and Richard Hughes’s works. King’s thoughts, words and acts in the light of prophetic traditions and the Civil Religion will be further discussed.
  • Media, Civil Rights, and American Collective Memory A

    Media, Civil Rights, and American Collective Memory A

    Committing a Movement to Memory: Media, Civil Rights, and American Collective Memory A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA BY Meagan A. Manning IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Dr. Catherine R. Squires June 2015 © Meagan A. Manning, 2015 Acknowledgements This dissertation was completed over the course of several years, many coffee shop visits, and residence in several states. First and foremost, I would like to thank my adviser Dr. Catherine R. Squires for her wisdom, support, and guidance throughout this dissertation and my entire academic career. I would also like to thank my committee members, Drs. Tom Wolfe, David Pellow, and Shayla Thiel-Stern for their continued dedication to the completion of this project. Each member added a great deal of their own expertise to this research, and it certainly would not be what it is today without their contribution. I would also like to thank the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Minnesota for allowing me the opportunity to pursue graduate studies in Communication. A big thank you to the graduate student community at the SJMC is also in order. Thanks also to my family and friends for the pep talks, smiles, hugs and interest in my work. Finally, thank you to Emancipator, Bonobo, and Tacocat for getting me through all of those long days and late nights. i Dedication This dissertation is dedicated to Margaret and Edward Manning, Elvina and Edward Buckley and Edward Manning, Jr. and Gerard Manning, both of whom the universe took far too soon.
  • Learning from History the Nashville Sit-In Campaign with Joanne Sheehan

    Learning from History the Nashville Sit-In Campaign with Joanne Sheehan

    Building a Culture of Peace Forum Learning From History The Nashville Sit-In Campaign with Joanne Sheehan Thursday, January 12, 2017 photo: James Garvin Ellis 7 to 9 pm (please arrive by 6:45 pm) Unitarian Universalist Church Free and 274 Pleasant Street, Concord NH 03301 Open to the Public Starting in September, 1959, the Rev. James Lawson began a series of workshops for African American college students and a few allies in Nashville to explore how Gandhian nonviolence could be applied to the struggle against racial segregation. Six months later, when other students in Greensboro, NC began a lunch counter sit-in, the Nashville group was ready. The sit- As the long-time New in movement launched the England Coordinator for Student Nonviolent Coordinating the War Resisters League, and as former Chair of War James Lawson Committee, which then played Photo: Joon Powell Resisters International, crucial roles in campaigns such Joanne Sheehan has decades as the Freedom Rides and Mississippi Freedom Summer. of experience in nonviolence training and education. Among those who attended Lawson nonviolence trainings She is co-author of WRI’s were students who would become significant leaders in the “Handbook for Nonviolent Civil Rights Movement, including Marion Barry, James Bevel, Campaigns.” Bernard Lafayette, John Lewis, Diane Nash, and C. T. Vivian. For more information please Fifty-six years later, Joanne Sheehan uses the Nashville contact LR Berger, 603 496 1056 Campaign to help people learn how to develop and participate in strategic nonviolent campaigns which are more The Building a Culture of Peace Forum is sponsored by Pace e than protests, and which call for different roles and diverse Bene/Campaign Nonviolence, contributions.
  • What Made Nonviolent Protest Effective During the Civil Rights Movement?

    What Made Nonviolent Protest Effective During the Civil Rights Movement?

    NEW YORK STATE SOCIAL STUDIES RESOURCE TOOLKIT 5011th Grade Civil Rights Inquiry What Made Nonviolent Protest Effective during the Civil Rights Movement? © Bettmann / © Corbis/AP Images. Supporting Questions 1. What was tHe impact of the Greensboro sit-in protest? 2. What made tHe Montgomery Bus Boycott, BirmingHam campaign, and Selma to Montgomery marcHes effective? 3. How did others use nonviolence effectively during the civil rights movement? THIS WORK IS LICENSED UNDER A CREATIVE COMMONS ATTRIBUTION- NONCOMMERCIAL- SHAREALIKE 4.0 INTERNATIONAL LICENSE. 1 NEW YORK STATE SOCIAL STUDIES RESOURCE TOOLKIT 11th Grade Civil Rights Inquiry What Made Nonviolent Protest Effective during the Civil Rights Movement? 11.10 SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC CHANGE/DOMESTIC ISSUES (1945 – PRESENT): Racial, gender, and New York State socioeconomic inequalities were addressed By individuals, groups, and organizations. Varying political Social Studies philosophies prompted debates over the role of federal government in regulating the economy and providing Framework Key a social safety net. Idea & Practices Gathering, Using, and Interpreting Evidence Chronological Reasoning and Causation Staging the Discuss tHe recent die-in protests and tHe extent to wHicH tHey are an effective form of nonviolent direct- Question action protest. Supporting Question 1 Supporting Question 2 Supporting Question 3 Guided Student Research Independent Student Research What was tHe impact of tHe What made tHe Montgomery Bus How did otHers use nonviolence GreensBoro sit-in protest? boycott, the Birmingham campaign, effectively during tHe civil rights and tHe Selma to Montgomery movement? marcHes effective? Formative Formative Formative Performance Task Performance Task Performance Task Create a cause-and-effect diagram tHat Detail tHe impacts of a range of actors Research the impact of a range of demonstrates the impact of the sit-in and tHe actions tHey took to make tHe actors and tHe effective nonviolent protest by the Greensboro Four.
  • Viewer's Guide

    Viewer's Guide

    SELMA T H E BRIDGE T O T H E BALLOT TEACHING TOLERANCE A PROJECT OF THE SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER VIEWER’S GUIDE GRADES 6-12 Selma: The Bridge to the Ballot is the story of a courageous group of Alabama students and teachers who, along with other activists, fought a nonviolent battle to win voting rights for African Americans in the South. Standing in their way: a century of Jim Crow, a resistant and segregationist state, and a federal govern- ment slow to fully embrace equality. By organizing and marching bravely in the face of intimidation, violence, arrest and even murder, these change-makers achieved one of the most significant victories of the civil rights era. The 40-minute film is recommended for students in grades 6 to 12. The Viewer’s Guide supports classroom viewing of Selma with background information, discussion questions and lessons. In Do Something!, a culminating activity, students are encouraged to get involved locally to promote voting and voter registration. For more information and updates, visit tolerance.org/selma-bridge-to-ballot. Send feedback and ideas to [email protected]. Contents How to Use This Guide 4 Part One About the Film and the Selma-to-Montgomery March 6 Part Two Preparing to Teach with Selma: The Bridge to the Ballot 16 Part Three Before Viewing 18 Part Four During Viewing 22 Part Five After Viewing 32 Part Six Do Something! 37 Part Seven Additional Resources 41 Part Eight Answer Keys 45 Acknowledgements 57 teaching tolerance tolerance.org How to Use This Guide Selma: The Bridge to the Ballot is a versatile film that can be used in a variety of courses to spark conversations about civil rights, activism, the proper use of government power and the role of the citizen.
  • Black-Jewish Coalition” Unraveled: Where Does Israel Fit?

    Black-Jewish Coalition” Unraveled: Where Does Israel Fit?

    The “Black-Jewish Coalition” Unraveled: Where Does Israel Fit? A Master’s Thesis Presented to The Faculty of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Brandeis University Hornstein Jewish Professional Leadership Program Professors Ellen Smith and Jonathan Krasner Ph.D., Advisors In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts by Leah Robbins May 2020 Copyright by Leah Robbins 2020 Acknowledgements This thesis was made possible by the generous and thoughtful guidance of my two advisors, Professors Ellen Smith and Jonathan Krasner. Their content expertise, ongoing encouragement, and loving pushback were invaluable to the work. This research topic is complex for the Jewish community and often wrought with pain. My advisors never once questioned my intentions, my integrity as a researcher, or my clear and undeniable commitment to the Jewish people of the past, present, and future. I do not take for granted this gift of trust, which bolstered the work I’m so proud to share. I am also grateful to the entire Hornstein community for making room for me to show up in my fullness, and for saying “yes” to authentically wrestle with my ideas along the way. It’s been a great privilege to stretch and grow alongside you, and I look forward to continuing to shape one another in the years to come. iii ABSTRACT The “Black-Jewish Coalition” Unraveled: Where Does Israel Fit? A thesis presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences of Brandeis University Waltham, Massachusetts By Leah Robbins Fascination with the famed “Black-Jewish coalition” in the United States, whether real or imaginary, is hardly a new phenomenon of academic interest.
  • Atlanta's Civil Rights Movement, Middle-Class

    Atlanta's Civil Rights Movement, Middle-Class

    “To Secure Improvements in Their Material and Social Conditions”: Atlanta’s Civil Rights Movement, Middle-Class Reformers, and Workplace Protests, 1960-1977 by William Seth LaShier B.A. in History, May 2009, St. Mary’s College of Maryland A Dissertation submitted to The Faculty of The Columbian College of Arts and Sciences of The George Washington University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy January 10, 2020 Dissertation directed by Eric Arnesen James R. Hoffa Teamsters Professor of Modern American Labor History The Columbian College of Arts and Sciences of The George Washington University certifies that William Seth LaShier has passed the Final Examinations for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy as of November 20, 2019. This is the final and approved form of the dissertation. “To Secure Improvements in Their Material and Social Conditions”: Atlanta’s Civil Rights Movement, Middle-Class Reformers, and Workplace Protests, 1960-1977 William Seth LaShier Dissertation Research Committee Eric Arnesen, James R. Hoffa Teamsters Professor of Modern American Labor History, Dissertation Director Erin Chapman, Associate Professor of History and of Women’s Studies, Committee Member Gordon Mantler, Associate Professor of Writing and of History, Committee Member ii Acknowledgements I could not have completed this dissertation without the generous support of teachers, colleagues, archivists, friends, and most importantly family. I want to thank The George Washington University for funding that supported my studies, research, and writing. I gratefully benefited from external research funding from the Southern Labor Archives at Georgia State University and the Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Books Library (MARBL) at Emory University.
  • Aspects of the Civil Rights Movement, 1946-1968: Lawyers, Law, and Legal and Social Change (CRM)

    Aspects of the Civil Rights Movement, 1946-1968: Lawyers, Law, and Legal and Social Change (CRM)

    Aspects of The Civil Rights Movement, 1946-1968: Lawyers, Law, and Legal and Social Change (CRM) Syllabus Spring 2012 (N867 32187) Professor Florence Wagman Roisman Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law Office Hours: Tuesdays and Wednesday – 11:00 a.m.- 12:00 p.m. Room 385 Roy Wilkins of the NAACP “reminded King that he owed his early fame to the NAACP lawsuit that had settled the Montgomery bus boycott, and he still taunted King for being young, naïve, and ineffectual, saying that King’s methods had not integrated a single classroom in Albany or Birmingham. ‘In fact, Martin, if you have desegregated anything by your efforts, kindly enlighten me.’ ‘Well,’ King replied, ‘I guess about the only thing I’ve desegregated so far is a few human hearts.’ King smiled too, and Wilkins nodded in a tribute to the nimble, Socratic reply. ‘Yes, I’m sure you have done that, and that’s important. So, keep on doing it. I’m sure it will help the cause in the long run.’” Taylor Branch, Parting the Waters: America in the King Years 1954-1963 (Simon and Schuster 1988), p. 849. Welcome to this course in the Civil Rights Movement (CRM). I adore this course, as has almost every student who’s taken it when I’ve taught it before. I have four goals for the course: to increase and make more sophisticated our understanding of what actually happened during the CRM, to consider the various roles played by lawyers and the law in promoting (and hindering) significant social change, to see what lessons the era of the CRM suggests for apparently similar problems we face today, and to promote consideration of ways in which each of us can contribute to humane social change.
  • General Works

    General Works

    THE BRITISH LIBRARY THE AMERICAN CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT A GUIDE TO MATERIALS IN THE BRITISH LIBRARY by Jean Kemble THE ECCLES CENTRE FOR AMERICAN STUDIES ISBN: 0-7123-4417-9 CONTENTS Introduction General Works Phases of the Movement Origins School Desegregation Bus Boycotts Sit-ins Freedom Rides Voter Registration and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 Black Power Civil Rights Organisations SNCC SCLC CORE NAACP National Urban League Participants in the Movement Students/Youths Whites in the Movement Women in the Movement Biographies and Autobiographies The Federal Government Executive Legislative Legal/Judicial States Alabama Arkansas Florida Georgia Louisiana Mississippi North Carolina Tennessee Virginia Washington, DC Other States Other Topics Leadership Martin Luther King, Jr. Malcolm X Public Opinion White Reaction Political Consequences Social and Economic Consequences Music of the Movement INTRODUCTION The Eccles Centre for American Studies in the British Library was established in 1991 both to promote the Library’s North American collections through bibliographical guides and exhibitions and to respond to enquiries from students, academics and the general public concerning all aspects of American history, literature and culture. During the last six years the civil rights movement of the 1950-60s has proved to be one of the most popular areas of research, particularly among undergraduates and sixth-form students. The enquiries have covered many different aspects of the movement: school desegregation, bus boycotts, sit-ins, marches, the involvement of white northern college students, the actions of individuals such as Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, Jr., and the reactions of white southerners and the federal government. This guide will facilitate research on these topics and many others.
  • “Who Speaks for Chicago?” Civil Rights, Community Organization and Coalition, 1910-1971 by Michelle Kimberly Johnson Thesi

    “Who Speaks for Chicago?” Civil Rights, Community Organization and Coalition, 1910-1971 by Michelle Kimberly Johnson Thesi

    “Who Speaks for Chicago?” Civil Rights, Community Organization and Coalition, 1910-1971 By Michelle Kimberly Johnson Fig. 1. Bernard J. Kleina, 1966 Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Bachelor of Arts In the Department of History at Brown University Thesis Advisor: Françoise Hamlin Friday, April 8, 2016 I am writing this thesis as a Black, biracial, woman of color. My Black paternal grandparents spent most of their lives on the South Side of Chicago, my father grew up there, and I grew up in Waukegan, Illinois, a mixed-income suburb fifty miles north of the city. This project is both extremely personal and political in nature. As someone working toward a future in academic activism and who utilizes a historical lens to do that work, the question of how to apply the stories and lessons of the past to the present, both as an intellectual project and a practical means of change, is always at the forefront. 2 Table of Contents Acknowledgments ...........................................................................................................................4 Introduction .....................................................................................................................................7 Chapter 1 Establishing Identity: The Great Migration and Early Civil Rights Organizing, 1900-1960 .......24 Chapter 2 Coordinated Efforts: The Battle for Better Schools, 1960-1965 ..................................................52 Chapter 3 End the Slums: Martin Luther King, Jr., 1966, and
  • We Are Here Today Because We Are Tired

    We Are Here Today Because We Are Tired

    "We are here today because we are tired. We are tired of paying more for less. We are tired of living in rat-infested slums... We are tired of having to pay a median rent of $97 a month in Lawndale for four rooms while whites living in South Deering pay $73 a month for five rooms. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to open the doors of opportunity to all of God's children." Dr. King, 1966, Chicago Solider Field Stadium as part of the Chicago Open Housing Movement Team HOC, I hope 2016 is off to a fantastic start! As you enjoy your day off or day of service in recognition of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, I want to take the opportunity to acknowledge Dr. King’s housing work and legacy. Dr. King was among the most notable spokesmen for nonviolent activism in the Civil Rights Movement. His work in the movement successfully protested racial discrimination and ultimately led to monumental changes in federal and state laws. Many called for establishing a federal holiday in Dr. King’s honor almost immediately following his 1968 assassination. President Reagan signed the holiday into law in 1983, and it was first observed in 1986 (three years later). It took 32 years for the holiday to be observed in all 50 states, which didn't occur until 2000. One of Dr. King's least acknowledged accomplishments is Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968, more commonly known as the Fair Housing Act.
  • Biographical Description for the Historymakers® Video Oral History with Reverend James Bevel

    Biographical Description for the Historymakers® Video Oral History with Reverend James Bevel

    Biographical Description for The HistoryMakers® Video Oral History with Reverend James Bevel PERSON Bevel, James L. (James Luther), 1936- Alternative Names: Reverend James Bevel; Life Dates: October 19, 1936-December 19, 2008 Place of Birth: Itta Bena, Mississippi, USA Residence: Chicago, Illinois Occupations: Civil Rights Activist; Minister Biographical Note Civil rights activist Reverend James Luther Bevel was born in Itta Bena, Mississippi, on October 19, 1936. After a stint in the services, Bevel was called to the ministry and enrolled in the American Baptist Theological Seminary in Nashville, Tennessee. While in the Seminary, Bevel joined the Nashville chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), then led by the Reverend James Lawson. (SCLC), then led by the Reverend James Lawson. In 1960, Bevel and other black students trained by Lawson, including John Lewis, Dianne Nash, Marion Barry, and Bernard Lafayette, organized sit-ins against segregated lunch counters. Eventually Bevel and his colleagues won a hard-fought, nonviolent victory; soon after, as chairman of the Nashville student movement, Bevel participated in Freedom Rides to desegregate interstate travel and public accommodations throughout the South. In his home state, Bevel created the SCLC Mississippi Project for voting rights in 1962. In 1963, Bevel was compelled to join the desegregation struggle being waged by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth in Birmingham, Alabama. When King was jailed, Bevel organized black children and marched against Commissioner Bull Connor's fire hoses and police dogs. The "Children's Crusade," as the movement led by Bevel came to be known, turned the media tide in the favor of the desegregationists.