In Search of Democracy: The NAACP Writings of James Weldon Johnson, Walter White, and Roy Wilkins (1920-1977)

by Sondra Kathryn Wilson

Overview

This collection of writings offers a glimpse into the minds of three N.A.A.C.P. leaders who occupied the center of black thought and action during some of the most troublesome and pivotal times of the civil rights movement. The volume delineates fifty-seven years of the N.A.A.C.P.'s program under the successive direction of James Weldon Johnson, Walter White, and Roy Wilkins. These writings illustrate the vital roles of these three leaders in building a peoples liberation, underscoring not only their progressive influence throughout their time in power, but also a vision of the future as race relations enter the 21st Century. Much of the material, notably "The Secretary's Reports to the Board," is published here for the first time, offering an invaluable resource for those seeking a deeper knowledge of the history of race in America

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780195116335
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	08/05/1999
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	544
Product dimensions:	6.34(w) x 9.24(h) x 1.55(d)

About the Author

Dr. Sandra Kathryn Wilson, literary executor and editor of the James Weldon Johnson's Papers, is an Associate of the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute, Harvard University.

Editorial Reviews

"Well organized, this is worthy reading for both general and scholarly readers."—Library Journal

"...the book gives readers a glimpse into the history of the country's oldest civil rights organization and into the minds of some of its leading thinkers. The writing brings the work of little-heralded heroes from the shadows into the spotlight."—Ebony

From the Publisher

These historical documents provide insight into the accomplishments of the NAACP through the writings of three of its most dynamic activists--James Weldon Johnson, Walter White, and Roy Wilkins. Wilson (The Selected Writings of James Weldon Johnson, Vols. 1 & 2) guides us meticulously through the written remains of half a decade of struggle against white supremacy--from Johnson's 1920s reports to the NAACP's Board of Directors to Wilkins's 1976 commentary on the FBI harassment of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Much of the primary material is being published here for the first time, offering an overdue reappraisal of Civil Rights history in America. Well organized (and complete with appendixes, notes, and a bibliography), this is worthy reading for both general and scholarly readers.--Edward G. McCormack, Univ. of Southern Mississippi Gulf Coast, Long Beach Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal