Ann Bausum - The March Against Fear - The Last Great Walk of the Civil Rights Movement and the Emergence of Black Power

“There is nothing

more powerful

to dramatize an injustice

like the

tramp,

tramp,

tramp

of marching feet.”

Martin Luther King, Jr., June 7, 1966, at a rally in

Memphis, Tennessee, during the March Against Fear

THE LAST GREAT WALK OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT AND THE EMERGENCE OF BLACK POWER

Countless supporters joined James Meredith (center, wearing pith helmet and grasping walking stick) for the final hike of the March Against Fear, June 26, 1966, to the Mississippi State Capitol in Jackson, including civil rights movement leaders Martin Luther King, Jr. (left of Meredith, arm linked with wife Coretta), Stokely Carmichael (right of Meredith, wearing overalls), and Floyd McKissick (right of Carmichael). Credit 1 Конец ознакомительного фрагмента. Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес». Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес. Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.

Copyright © 2017 Ann Bausum

All rights reserved. Reproduction of the whole or any part of the contents without written permission from the publisher is prohibited.

Since 1888, the National Geographic Society has funded more than 12,000 research, exploration, and preservation projects around the world. The Society receives funds from National Geographic Partners LLC, funded in part by your purchase. A portion of the proceeds from this book supports this vital work. To learn more, visit www.​natgeo.​com/​info.

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NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC and Yellow Border

Design are trademarks of the National Geographic Society, used under license.

Cover Design by James Hiscott, Jr.

Text set in Baskerville MT Std, Univers

Display text set in Veneer, Univers

Hardcover ISBN 9781426326653

ISBN 9781426326660

Ebook ISBN 9781426326684

v4.1

a

Version: 2017-07-05

FOR THE MARCHERS THEN, NOW, AND ALWAYS.

—AB

Cover

Title Page

Copyright Copyright © 2017 Ann Bausum All rights reserved. Reproduction of the whole or any part of the contents without written permission from the publisher is prohibited. Since 1888, the National Geographic Society has funded more than 12,000 research, exploration, and preservation projects around the world. The Society receives funds from National Geographic Partners LLC, funded in part by your purchase. A portion of the proceeds from this book supports this vital work. To learn more, visit www.​natgeo.​com/​info . For more information, visit national​geographic.​com , call 1-800-647-5463, or write to the following address: National Geographic Partners 1145 17th Street N.W. Washington, D.C. 20036-4688 U.S.A. Visit us online at national​geographic.​com/​books For librarians and teachers: ngchildrens​books.​org More for kids from National Geographic: kids.​national​geographic.​com For rights or permissions inquiries, please contact National Geographic Books Subsidiary Rights: bookrights@​natgeo.​com NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC and Yellow Border Design are trademarks of the National Geographic Society, used under license. Cover Design by James Hiscott, Jr. Text set in Baskerville MT Std, Univers Display text set in Veneer, Univers Hardcover ISBN 9781426326653 ISBN 9781426326660 Ebook ISBN 9781426326684 v4.1 a Version: 2017-07-05

Epigraph FOR THE MARCHERS THEN, NOW, AND ALWAYS. —AB

A Note About Language

Prologue A TREMOR

Chapter 1 WILD IDEAS

Chapter 2 REACTIONS

Chapter 3 REVIVED

Chapter 4 DELTA BOUND

Chapter 5 BLACK POWER

Chapter 6 EARTHQUAKE

Chapter 7 WHITE RAGE

Chapter 8 SUPREMACY

Chapter 9 REUNITED

Chapter 10 FINALE

Chapter 11 AFTERSHOCKS

Author’s Note

Acknowledgments

Bibliography

Photography Credits

Citations

About the Author

Readers will travel through history with this book and encounter examples of language old and new, respectful and hateful. In my text, I use the terms “black” and “African American” interchangeably and with equal respect. The widespread use of the word “Negro” in quotations from historical source material should be viewed within the context of the times as a term of respect, too. Racial epithets of that era remain no less offensive today, but they are a part of the historical record and are presented in quotations from the period without censorship.

—Ann Bausum

One minute James Meredith was walking along a rural road in Mississippi, two days into an estimated two-week-long journey to the state capital of Jackson. The next minute a stranger had climbed out of the roadside honeysuckle and started shooting at him.

The first blast from the 16-gauge shotgun spewed tiny balls of ammunition toward the hiker, but the pellets struck the pavement nearby, not Meredith himself.

Undeterred, the gunman fired again.

BLAM!

Some pellets found their mark.

BLAM!

Shotgun pellets from the third blast penetrated Meredith’s scalp, neck, shoulder, back, and legs. His hiking companions seemed frozen in place, transfixed by shock and unable to react to the sudden threat.

Meredith had cried out in surprise when the shooting began. Then he, like those walking with him, began searching for cover. He dragged himself across the pavement, trying to put distance between himself and his attacker. He collapsed on his side, sprawled upon the grassy shoulder of U.S. Highway 51, his blood oozing from multiple wounds into the red soil of Mississippi.