A Chief Lieutenant of the Tuskegee Machine: Charles Banks of Mississippi
Jackson sheds light on the life of Charles Banks, a relatively obscure black activist but an important cog in Booker T. Washington's powerful Tuskegee Machine. In the post-Reconstruction era, considered by many the low point for free black Americans, the machine offered an aggressive strategy for their economic and political development. As Washington's "chief lieutenant" in Mississippi, Banks spread the gospel of self-help from the small town of Mound Bayou, eking out progress despite the nonprogressive times. The book also reflects on others who worked for and benefited from association with Tuskegee and Washington. Despite Washington's autocratic nature, members of his machine were independent thinkers of diverse backgrounds, more akin to the "talented tenth" promulgated by W. E. B. DuBois, his rival for black leadership. With rich texture, Jackson presents behind-the-scenes tensions within the machine and the work of developing strategies for the racial advancement of black people in the South. Readers interested in black history will enjoy this biography of a man who lived his ideals.Vernon FordCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.