I am almost done with the first of Taylor Branch's three historical writings about the civil rights movement in the United States from 1954-1968. I am in a wonderful dream world of reading that I can not explain to you if you don't do much reading. It may sound odd that I say fondly that I am in a dream world when, in fact, for most participants in the civil rights movement life was more like a nightmare. Within my heart I have such a deep sense of remorse for the sins committed against blacks and empathy for those who were suffering such terrible injustices at the hands of the established, bigoted, white power structure in the south during those years. (Remember that bigotry continues.) What is more important is that I am developing a much greater respect and sensitivity for those who suffer in our country even to this day. My heart is broken. I have had folks look at the thickness of "Parting the Waters" and they seem dazzled that I would be attempting to read such a long book. All I can say is, "I wish is were longer. I wish it were more detailed." Having been born in the early 50's and having always, from the youngest years, been intrigued by news reports and history, I have a strong sense of the truthfulness of Mr. Branch's accounts and his chronology. I am sure that there are those who may have some opposing views on Mr. Branch's take on the history of the civil rights movement, but those challenges are most likely not on issues of great consequence. They may be about a perspective on an event or about a particular role one individual had relative to the outcome of some protest or legal process. I remember so very much of what Mr. Branch records. I find myself saying over and over again, "Oh, I remember that murder, that arrest, that protest, the name of that racist judge/cop." This book is a walk down memory lane. I do not think that anyone needs to have my back ground to enjoy the books or learn from them. I just feel a special affinity to the subject due to my personal history. I am conflicted in that I don't want the first book to end yet I can not wait to get going on the next two.
Mr. Branch received a Pulitzer Prize for the first book in the trilogy. Interestingly, Carl Sandburg received a Pulitzer Prize for the first two books of his biography of Abraham Lincoln, which eventually turned into a six volume set. I think, and this is just a guess, that Mr. Branch had read, was fully aware of, and wanted to follow up on Mr. Sandburg's effort in that the subject matter is so seamlessly connected. Mr. Branch talks of Martin Luther King Jr. as being in the center of the movement, but clearly not the movement itself. Mr. Branch sees Mr. King as either its heart or at the heart of the movement for sure and much of what is written is about Mr. King and his activities. Yet, there are so many more individuals involved one of which was Roy Wilkins for whom the "Roy Wilkins Arena" in Saint Paul, Minnesota is named. It may be argued that the entire Xcel Energy Center building should be named after him rather than just its oldest arena. Then again, we are in Minnesota, bastion of Scandinavian heritage. But, Mr. Wilkins was the "Big Time." He was the President of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) during this entire experience. He had been the head of the Minnesota branch and was promoted to the national office in New York City and was responsible for much of its success in the legal battles that were waged. He ended up succeeding the NAACP's founder W.E.B DuBois who is an interesting character to the extreme. There are huge books written about this complex gentleman, who was the first black man to achieve a PHd from Harvard, and the many influences he had on the civil rights movement. Mr. DuBois was once asked about the honor he had of being the first black man to achieve a doctorate from Harvard. He responded by saying that, "The honor was Harvard's." Mr. DuBois was a man of great intellect and a force to be reconded with. Interestingly he died of natural causes on the same day that Martin Luther King Jr. made his famous speech in Washington, D.C.
Back to Sandburg/Branch and the seamlessness of the subject matter; I look forward to the story of the behind the scenes activities that lead to the huge march on Washington, D.C. where, at the foot of the Lincoln monument, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered one of, if not the most moving addresses ever given in our nation's history, that famous "I Have A Dream" speech. The poetic nature of the setting, the 100Th anniversary of the signing by President Lincoln of the Emancipation Proclamation, at the foot of this martyr's marble image and Grecian pillars of remembrance, must not be lost on us to history, time, and complacency.
I have a dream. My dream is that all of my students read at least the first of these three books and that some of you will get through the entire trilogy. In this dream you read them now, in your youth, and your lives are invariably altered for the good of God's purposes. Then justice "flows down like a mighty river" in your later years and you will remember the lessons of the civil rights movement, you will have positively contributed, and perhaps you will remember me. Don't, like me, wait until you are fifty-five to get going. You will always be "too busy." Remember what great coaches always say, "I Can't really means I Won't." If you are ever to assert your "will" to do something good, assert your will and read these books. Another great teacher once said; to a violin student that a particular challenging work of music was frustrating, "It isn't hard. Somethings just take longer than others." Get going, take the time. You won't be disappointed, you will be changed forever, for the good.
No comments:
Post a Comment