[R-G] A little on Movement writing [e.g. Taylor Branch and the civil rights struggle]

[Hunter Gray]

NOTE BY HUNTER BEAR:

I've been having a friendly exchange with a younger person interested in the treatment of the Civil Rights Movement by writers -- with especial reference to Taylor Branch.  This my summing-up on that dimension.

Among other sources, I referred him to these links on our website:


http://hunterbear.org/jackson.htm

http://hunterbear.org/MOVEMENT%20WRITING%20IDAHO%20TO%20DIXIE.htm

http://hunterbear.org/MOVEMENT%20WRITING%20YET%20AGAIN.htm


Thanks for the note, M,, and I am glad I was able to connect despite the limitations of AOL.

I think I've probably said about all I can -- at least at this point -- regarding Taylor Branch and his work.  The webpage links I initially gave you sum up my view -- and that of some others -- pretty well.  As I indicated, I have a good deal of Southern Movement material on our large website -- some of it listed on the upper region of our Directory/Index.  Among other things, there is stuff on Medgar Evers -- and also a rather long and detailed "life interview" with me on my organizing work in many settings over many decades.  That interview has much detail on the Jackson Movement.  And there is much more on our large site.

I think, in sum, that Taylor Branch is focused primarily on "publicly recognized" "bigger" names -- especially Martin King and the Kennedys.  He was/is also wary of left radicialism in general -- that's quite obvious.  I think he was/is definitely committed to a "respectable" treatment of those turbulent times and it worked in the sense that that approach sold many books and drew positive reviews from mainline media.  But, since he had neither personal involvement as participant or participant observer, and he carried his inhibitions, his work is limited [in the opinion of many of us, anyway] as far as value and certainly enduring value.  If you take his approach as a kind of introductory -- but limited -- overview, then -- again in my opinion anyway -- you are on solid ground.  He misses much, probably some inadvertently and even more deliberately.  He certainly gave the Jackson Movement, and its many profound ramifications, at best a mere sketch -- missing its very rich and significant internal life.  

I think you are on solid ground in looking at other books and I'd suggest oral histories --  especially the words of people who actually "did" things.  A rough analogy in this matter would be the American labor movement and its treatment.  The books by the actual organizers are the ones that have endured over the many decades.

Anyway, good luck and all the best.

As Ever, Hunter [Hunter Bear]


HUNTER GRAY [HUNTER BEAR/JOHN R SALTER JR] Mi'kmaq /St. Francis
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