A decisive decade
Subtitle: an insider's view of the Chicago civil rights movement during the 1960s
By: Robert B. McKersie ; with a foreword by James R. Ralph Jr
Publisher: Southern Illinois University Press
Published: 2013
Language: eng
Number of pages: 255
ISBN-13: 9780809332441
Subjects: African American civil rights workers; Race relations; Civil rights; Civil rights movements; History; African Americans; Biography; Civil rights workers
Description: "The deeply personal story of a historic time in Chicago, Robert B. McKersie's A Decisive Decade follows the unfolding action of the Civil Rights Movement as it played out in the Windy City. McKersie's participation as a white activist for black rights offers a unique, firsthand viewpoint on the debates, boycotts, marches, and negotiations that would forever change the face of race relations in Chicago and the United States at large. Described within are McKersie's intimate observations on events as they developed during his participation in such historic occasions as the impassioned marches for open housing in Chicago; the campaign to end school segregation under Chicago Schools Superintendent Benjamin Willis; Operation Breadbaskets push to develop economic opportunities for black citizens; and dialogs with corporations to provide more jobs for blacks in Chicago. In addition, McKersie provides up close and personal descriptions of the iconic Civil Rights leaders who spearheaded some of the most formative battles of Chicago's Civil Rights movement, including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Reverend Jesse Jackson, Timuel Black Jr. and W. Alvin Pitcher. The author illumines the tensions experienced by two major institutions in responding to the demands of the civil rights movement: the university and the church. Packed with historical detail and personal anecdotes of these history-making years, A Decisive Decade offers a never-before-seen perspective on one of our nations most tumultuous eras." - Publisher's description.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (pages 243-246) and index.
Table of contents: title: Prologue: Starting an academic career; title: The First Unitarian Church of Chicago: my gateway to the civil rights movement and to Alex Poinsett; title: Campaigns on the employment front; title: Tim Black and the Motorola campaign; title: Campaigns on the education front; title: The movement marks time while the university plays catch-up; title: Spring and summer 1965: marches, more marches, and Al Pitcher; title: A peaceful march in Kenwood and a not-so-peaceful march led by Dick Gregory; title: Looking back on the tumultuous events of 1965; title: The campaign for open housing, summer 1966; title: Jesse Jackson, Operation Breadbasket, and minority enterprise; title: The movement and the decade wind down; title: Initiatives continue within the university and the Unitarian church; title: Race relations and the personal equation.