10 books about the civil rights movement

From the Civil War to our combustible present, and now with a new epilogue about the 2016 presidential election, acclaimed historian Carol Anderson reframes our continuing conversation about race. White Rage chronicles the powerful forces opposed to black progress in America. As Ferguson, Missouri, erupted in August 2014, and media commentators across the ideological spectrum referred to the angry response of African Americans as "black rage," historian Carol Anderson wrote a remarkable op-ed in the Washington Post showing that this was, instead, "white rage at work. With so much attention on the flames," she writes, "everyone had ignored the kindling." Since 1865 and the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment, every time African Americans have made advances towards full participation in our democracy, white reaction has fueled a deliberate and relentless rollback of their gains. The end of the Civil War and Reconstruction was greeted with the Black Codes and Jim Crow; the Supreme Court's landmark 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision was met with the shutting down of public schools throughout the South while taxpayer dollars financed segregated white private schools; the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965 triggered a coded but powerful response, the so-called Southern Strategy and the War on Drugs that disenfranchised millions of African Americans while propelling presidents Nixon and Reagan into the White House. Carefully linking these and other historical flashpoints when social progress for African Americans was countered by deliberate and cleverly crafted opposition, Anderson pulls back the veil that has long covered actions made in the name of protecting democracy, fiscal responsibility, or protection against fraud, rendering visible the long lineage of white rage. Compelling and dramatic in the unimpeachable history it relates, White Rage will add an important new dimension to the national conversation about race in America.

The author, the daughter of Andrew Young, describes the participation of Martin Luther King, Jr., along with her father and others, in the civil rights movement and in the historic march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, in 1965.

“For almost two decades, investigative journalist Jerry Mitchell doggedly pursued the Klansmen responsible for some of the most notorious murders of the civil rights movement. This book is his amazing story. Thanks to him, and to courageous prosecutors, witnesses, and FBI agents, justice finally prevailed.” —John Grisham, author of The Guardians On June 21, 1964, more than twenty Klansmen murdered three civil rights workers. The killings, in what would become known as the “Mississippi Burning” case, were among the most brazen acts of violence during the civil rights movement. And even though the killers’ identities, including the sheriff’s deputy, were an open secret, no one was charged with murder in the months and years that followed. It took forty-one years before the mastermind was brought to trial and finally convicted for the three innocent lives he took. If there is one man who helped pave the way for justice, it is investigative reporter Jerry Mitchell. In Race Against Time, Mitchell takes readers on the twisting, pulse-racing road that led to the reopening of four of the most infamous killings from the days of the civil rights movement, decades after the fact. His work played a central role in bringing killers to justice for the assassination of Medgar Evers, the firebombing of Vernon Dahmer, the 16th Street Church bombing in Birmingham and the Mississippi Burning case. Mitchell reveals how he unearthed secret documents, found long-lost suspects and witnesses, building up evidence strong enough to take on the Klan. He takes us into every harrowing scene along the way, as when Mitchell goes into the lion’s den, meeting one-on-one with the very murderers he is seeking to catch. His efforts have put four leading Klansmen behind bars, years after they thought they had gotten away with murder. Race Against Time is an astonishing, courageous story capturing a historic race for justice, as the past is uncovered, clue by clue, and long-ignored evils are brought into the light. This is a landmark book and essential reading for all Americans.

Joyce Jenkins has recently moved to a new town with her family, and she will soon be attending a segregated school for the first time. Meanwhile, Connie Underwood is trying to figure out what her twin brothers are planning in secret. Follow along with the two girls as they find themselves in the middle of a civil rights demonstration, and find out how the fight for equality changed the country forever.

The U.S. Civil Rights Trail offers a vivid glimpse into the story of Black America's fight for freedom. From witnessing eye-opening landmarks to celebrating triumph over adversity, experience a tangible piece of history with Moon U.S. Civil Rights Trail. Flexible Itineraries: Travel the entire trail through the South, or take shorter trips with chapters on Charleston, Birmingham, Jackson, Memphis, Washington DC, and more places that were significant to the Civil Rights Movement Historic Civil Rights Sites: Learn about Dr. King's legacy at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, be transformed at the small but mighty Emmett Till Intrepid Center, and stand tall with Little Rock Nine at their memorial in Arkansas The Culture of the Movement: Get to know the voices, stories, music, and flavors that shape and celebrate Black America both then and now Expert Insight: Award-winning journalist Deborah Douglas offers her valuable perspective and knowledge, as well as suggestions for engaging with local communities by patronizing Black-owned businesses and seeking out activist groups Travel Tools: Find tips on where to stay, where to eat, the best local nightlife, and more, plus driving directions for exploring the sites on a road trip, with full-color photos and maps throughout Detailed coverage of: Charleston, Atlanta, Selma to Montgomery, Birmingham, Jackson, the Mississippi Delta, Little Rock, Memphis, Nashville, Raleigh, Durham, Virginia, and Washington DC Journey through history, understand struggles past and present, and get inspired to create a better future with Moon U.S. Civil Rights Trail.

The world's eyes were on Mississippi during the summer of 1964, when civil rights activists launched an ambitious African American voter registration project and were met with violent resistance from white supremacists. Sue (Lorenzi) Sojourner and her husband, Henry Lorenzi, arrived in Holmes County, Mississippi, in the wake of this historic time, known as Freedom Summer. From her arrival in September 1964 until her departure in 1969, Sojourner amassed an extensive collection of photographs, oral histories, and documents chronicling the dramatic events she witnessed. Thunder of Freedom weaves together Sojourner's interviews and photographs with accounts of her own experiences as an activist during the movement.

Take a crash course in the social justice issues that keep the United States from realizing its promise of equality! This civil right book for kids is also a guide for parents and educators who worry about broaching the topics of racism, discrimination, and prejudice. Civil Rights Then and Now: A Timeline of the Fight for Equality in America presents the reader with facts, biographies, and landmark supreme court cases in an easily digestible manner and within a historical context. The minor editorializing helps to guide readers to understand the events that have shaped the United States and then challenges them to become advocates for change. Included in this book are vocabulary lists, questions for comprehension and discussion, and even essay/journaling prompts. This information-packed social justice book and civil rights timeline introduces readers to a selection of many critical civil rights movement events in black history. From the embarrassing origins of Slavery to the modern struggle against systemic and overt oppression, this book will spark conversations about subjects that we can no longer afford to ignore.

A history of America's civil rights movement traces the pivotal influence of sexual violence that victimized African American women for centuries, revealing Rosa Parks's contributions as an anti-rape activist years before her heroic bus protest.

The award-winning national bestseller, Walking with the Wind, is one of the most important records of the American civil rights movement as told by a true American hero, John Lewis, who Cornel West called a “national treasure.” An eloquent and gripping first-hand account of the turbulent struggle for civil rights and the willingness and courage to change the course of history. Forty years ago, a teenaged boy named John Lewis stepped off a cotton farm in Alabama and into the epicenter of the struggle for civil rights in America. The ideals of nonviolence which guided that critical time of American history established him as one of the movement's most charismatic and courageous leaders. Lewis's leadership in the Nashville Movement—a student-led effort to desegregate the city of Nashville using sit-in techniques based on the teachings of Gandhi—established him as one of the movement's defining figures and set the tone for the major civil rights campaigns of the 1960s. During this decade, he was repeatedly a victim of violence and intimidation, but his singular belief in non-violent action, inspired by his mentor, Dr. Martin Luther King, was a defining characteristic of his leadership and vision. In 1986, he ran and won a congressional seat in Georgia, and remains in office to this day. Walking with the Wind is the story of an American hero. A boy from rural Alabama whose journey led him to Washington, and whose vision and perseverance changed a nation.