Category: civil rights

+ african american art, african american literature, american history, civil rights, france, history, the stone face, william gardner smith

Rootlessness and Action in William Gardner Smith’s “The Stone Face”

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Over the past few posts, I have been looking at the tensions that Simeon feels in William Gardner Smith’s The Stone Face. Simeon leaves the United States for France, seeking refuge and escape from the racist oppression of white supremacy. He finds, as other African American expatriates do within the novel, the “illusion of safety.” This illusion provides a means of escape, a means … Read More Rootlessness and Action in William Gardner Smith’s “The Stone Face”

+ american history, civil rights, civil rights memorial, history, james baldwin, martin luther king, jr, memory

Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Illusion of History

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The illusion of history does not serve to move us towards progress; rather, the myths that the illusions construct hinder any forward movement and in many ways serve to repel and repeal any progress towards equity and equality. The James Baldwin documentary I Heard It Through the Grapevine (1982) makes this abundantly clear. Dick Fontaine and Pat Hartley follow Baldwin as he returns to … Read More Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Illusion of History

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+ civil rights, Darkroom: A Memoir in Black and White, graphic memoir, lillian e smith, march, pauli murray

“Civil Rights Memoir” Syllabus

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Recently, I’ve been thinking about different courses that I would want to teach in the future. In the last post, I discussed a course entitled “Literature of White Estrangement.” Today, I want to think about a course entitled “Civil Rights Memoirs.” I’ve been thinking about this course for a few weeks, and I started thinking about it because, after teaching John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate … Read More “Civil Rights Memoir” Syllabus

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+ addie mae collins, andrew aydin, birmingham, carole robertson, civil rights, cynthia wesley, denise mcnair, john lewis, march, martin luther king, jr, nate powell, shreveport, shreveport times

The Local and the National

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As I reread the March trilogy, I kept thinking about, as I’ve written about recently, the things that March doesn’t cover in regard to the Civil Rights Movement. Like I’ve mentioned before, this is understandable, especially since the trilogy centers on John Lewis and his work. Today, though, I want to talk about ways that educators can use March as a starting point to … Read More The Local and the National

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+ american history, civil rights, history, james clyburn, lillian e smith, race

We Must Not Remain Silent: Lillian Smith’s “Address to White Liberals”

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Whenever I go to the Lillian E. Smith Center, I take time to look around, and inevitably, I always find something new that I’ve somehow missed in my previous trips. Usually, I scan the numerous books that Smith has in her library, her bedroom, and elsewhere. During a recent trip, I picked up Bucklin Moon’s Primer for White Folks (1945), a book I’d picked … Read More We Must Not Remain Silent: Lillian Smith’s “Address to White Liberals”

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