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  • Beck, King, and Nonviolence

    From the Washington Post’s Political Bookworm Blog:

    It’s not exactly a memorable anniversary year – not the 25th, or 50th, or 75th year since Martin Luther King’s memorable “I Have a Dream Speech.” It’s the 47th anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington on Saturday, and this one may become memorable because in this highly charged election year, the day is being claimed from opposite sides of
    the political spectrum. Charles Euchner has chronicled the actual day more than 40 years ago (and less than 50) in “Nobody Turn Me Around: A People’s History of the 1963 March on Washington,” released this month by Beacon Press. Here, Euchner, who teaches writing at Yale University and is the author of eight books, reflects on the
    competing commemorations taking place in Washington this weekend.

    Euchner says of the 1963 March:

    On that long-ago August afternoon, order prevailed. Americans
    watching live TV coverage — the first time anyone ever saw the movement
    gather together — witnessed a joyous but determined crowd. One
    commentator likened it to a church picnic, but it was more than that.
    With their numbers, marchers presented a “living petition.” Marchers
    served notice, in King’s words, that they “can never be satisfied” until
    gaining their full rights as citizens.

    But marchers knew they had to avoid responding to violence with
    violence — or even returning the vitriol of their foes. When they were
    attacked or slandered, they were taught to turn away. Only by focusing
    on higher values — universal values — could they succeed.

    Read the rest here. And read an excerpt from Nobody Turn Me Around on Scribd.

  • The 1963 March on Washington on YouTube

    We’ve assembled a playlist of videos about the March on Washington at our Beacon Broadside YouTube channel. The first video was made in conjunction with the publication of Nobody Turn Me Around: A People’s History of the 1963 March on Washington.

  • America’s Promise Meant For Everyone

    Eboo Patel is the author of Acts of Faith: The Story of an American Muslim, the Struggle for the Soul of a Generation. He is the founder and Executive Director of the Interfaith Youth Core, an international nonprofit building the interfaith youth movement. He was appointed by President Obama to the Advisory Council of the White House Office of Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships and serves on the Religious Advisory Committee of the Council on Foreign Relations. Patel writes "The Faith Divide" blog for The Washington Post, where this post originally appeared.

    Book cover for Acts of FaithCan you believe that, at one point, women couldn't vote in America? That Japanese American citizens were put in detention camps because of the actions of the Imperial Japanese Navy? That Jackie Robinson was spat upon on the baseball diamond because of the color of his skin? That there were quotas on Jews at Ivy League Universities? That mosques were opposed across the country and a shocking number of people suggested a Muslim should be disqualified from the Supreme Court or the Presidency because of his religion?

    Oh yeah, that last one is still happening. But one day, I promise you, we will be as ashamed of the way American Muslims are viewed and treated in 2010 as we are of Japanese internment and Jim Crow. America's promise is meant for everyone or we are not America.

    But the tide is turning. Several articles over this past week are shining a spotlight on the forces of division that manufactured the "ground zero mosque" controversy. The pieces reveal a small cabal of professional Muslim haters who gleefully found an issue that resonated with a larger public.

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  • Excerpt: Roy Wilkins’s Reluctant Tribute to W.E.B. Du Bois

    This Saturday, August 28th, marks the 47th anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington. Yesterday, we posted a copy of Martin Luther King Jr.'s program from the March, on which was written a note about the death of W. E. B. Du Bois. Today, we post an excerpt from Nobody Turn Me Around: A People's History of the 1963 March on Washington by Charles Euchner.

    Dubois
       W. E. B. DuBois

    Western Union had delivered hundreds of telegrams of congratulations to the March on Washington tent. One came from W. E. B. Du Bois.

    "One thing alone I charge you, as you live, believe in Life!" Du Bois said in a final message composed two months before, during his final illness. "Always human beings will live and progress to greater, broader and fuller life. The only possible death is to lose belief in this truth simply because the Great End comes slowly, because time is long."

    Then came the news that Du Bois had died the day before in Accra, Ghana, at the age of ninety-five. Maya Angelou led a group of Americans and Ghanaians to the U.S. embassy in Accra, carrying torches and placards reading "Down with American Apartheid" and "America, a White Man's Heaven and a Black Man's Hell."

    In Washington, the news fluttered through the audience and onto the platform.

    Over a seventy-year career, Du Bois took every conceivable approach to the race problem. He was a provocative propagandist and measured scholar. He was for integration and then for separation. He believed in the American dream and disdained it. He believed in the power of politics and the ambiguity of culture. He brawled and he stood aloof. He embraced indigenous liberation and global communism.

    Du Bois wrote thirty-eight books on the experience of race—on slavery and reconstruction, rebellion and war, psychology and economics, America and Africa, war and democracy, ideology and crime. He wrote thousands of articles and reports. He debated Booker T. Washington and coined the expression "the talented tenth," to describe the vanguard that could lead the black race out of bondage. As an American facing the cruelty and degradation of Jim Crow, Du Bois embraced the pan-African ideal of a global race.

    Lifetimes ago, in 1909, Du Bois helped create the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. He left the NAACP in 1948 when he was rebuked for holding a civil rights march in Washington. In 1961 he became a Communist Party member, renounced his American citizenship, and became a citizen of Ghana.

    When Bayard Rustin got news of Du Bois's death, he worked his way across the crowded stage to deliver the news to Roy Wilkins. As the head of the NAACP, surely Wilkins would want to say a few words about this historic figure.

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  • Artifacts of the 1963 March on Washington

    Beacon Press has been working with the Estate of Martin Luther King Jr. on “The King Legacy,” new editions of previously published King titles and new compilations of Dr. King’s writings, sermons, orations, lectures, and prayers with scholarly introductions. In addition, we’ve just published Nobody Turn Me Around: A People’s History of the 1963 March on Washington. So with the anniversary of the March this Saturday, August 28th, we’ve been thinking about what the March means to American History. This week, we’ll publish a series of posts on the March on Beacon Broadside.

    Sarah Overton at the Martin Luther King Jr. Research and Education Institute at Stanford sent us the following scans of King’s program from the March, and they’ve kindly granted us permission to publish them here. 

    The image of the map of the March route contains a handwritten note from Clarence Jones, Scholar in Residence at at the King Institute and advisor, speech-writer, and friend to Dr. King. The note says: 

    Dear Martin–

    Just learned that Dr. W. E. B. DuBois died last night in Ghana. Someone should make note of this fact. 

    Clarence

    Mlk_march_brochure-2

    Mlk_march_brochure-3

    Mlk_march_brochure-4

    Mlk_march_brochure-1  

    Transcription:

    MARCH ON WASHINGTON FOR JOBS AND FREEDOM

    AUGUST 28, 1963

    LINCOLN MEMORIAL PROGRAM

    1. The National Anthem     Led by Marian Anderson (Note: Anderson did not get to the podium in time to perform, and Camilla Williams performed in her place. Anderson later sang “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands,” which you can watch here.)

    2. Invocation    The Very Rev. Patrick O’Boyle, Archibishop of Washington

    3. Opening Remarks    A. Philip Randolph, Director March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.   

    4. Remarks     Dr. Eugene Carson Blake, State Clerk, United Presbyterian Church of the U.S.A.; Vice Chariman, Commission on Race Relations of the National Council of Churches of Christ in America.

    5. Tribute to Negro Women Fighters for Freedom    Mrs. Medgar Evers
    Daisy Bates
    Diane Nash Bevel
    Mrs. Medgar Evers
    Mrs. Herbert Lee
    Rosa Parks
    Gloria Richardson

    6. Remarks    John Lewis, National Chairman, Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.

    7. Remarks    Walter Reuther, President, United Automobile Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America, AFL-CIO; Chairman, Industrial Union Department, AFL-CIO.

    8. Remarks    James Farmer, National Director, Council of Racial Equality

    9. Selection    Eva Jessye Choir (Note: Watch here, although this clip shows them singing just before Roy Wilkins speaks.)

    10. Prayer    Rabbi Uri MIller, President Synagogue Council of America.

    11. Remarks    Whitney M. Young, Jr., Executive Director, National Urban League.

    12. Remarks    Mathew Ahmann, Executive Director, National Catholic Conference for Interracial Justice.

    13. Remarks   Roy Wilkins, Executive Secretary, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

    14. Selection   Miss Mahalia Jackson (Note: Watch here.)

    15. Remarks   Rabbi Joachim Prinz, President American Jewish Congress.

    16. Remarks   The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., President, Southern Christian Leadership Conference. (Note: Watch below or on YouTube.)


    17. The Pledge    A. Philip Randolph

    18. Benediction, Dr. Benjamin E. Mays, President, Morehouse College

    “WE SHALL OVERCOME”

    Statement by the heads of the ten organizations calling for discipline in connection with the Washington March of August 28, 1963.

    “The Washington March of August 28th is more than just a demonstration. 

    “It was conceived as an outpouring of the deep feeling of millions of white and colored American citizens that the time has come for the Government of the United States of America, and particularly for the Congress of that government, to grant and guarantee complete equality in citizenship to the Negro minority of our population. 

    “As such, the Washington March is a living petition-in the flesh-of the scores of thousands of citizens of both races who will be present from all parts of our country. 

    “It will be orderly, but not subservient. It will be proud, but not arrogant. It will be nonwiolent, but not timid. It will be unified in purposes and behavior, not splintered into groups and individual competitors. It will be outspoken, but not raucous.

    “It will have the dignity befitting a demonstration in behalf of the human rights of twenty millions of people, with the eye and the judgment of the world focused upon Washington, D.C., on August 28, l963. 

    “In a neighborhood dispute there may be stunts, rough words and even hot insults; but when a whole people speaks to its government, the dialogue and the action must be on a level reflecting the worth of that people and the responsibility of that government. 

    “We, the undersigned, who see the Washington March as wrapping up the dreams, hopes, ambitions, tears, and prayers of millions who have lived for this day, call upon the members, followers and well wishers of our several organizations to make the March a disciplined and purposeful demonstration.

    “We call upon them all, black and white, to resist provocations to disorder and to violence.  

    “We ask them to remember that evil Persons are determined to smear this March and to discredit the cause of equality by deliberate efforts to stir disorder. 

    “We call for self-discipline, so that no one in our own ranks, however enthusiastic, shall be the spark for disorder. 

    “We call for resistance to the efforts of those who, while not enemies of the March as such, might seek to use it to advance causes not dedicated primarily to civil rights or to the welfare of our country. 

    “We ask each and every one in attendance in Washington or in spiritual attendance back home to place the Cause above all else. 

    “Do not permit a few irresponsible people to hang a new problem around our necks as we return home. Let’s do what we came to do–place the national human rights problem squarely on the doorstep of the national Congress and of the Federal Government.” 

    SIGNED: 

    Mathew Ahmann, Executive Director of the National Catholic Conference for Interracial Justice.

    Reverend Eugene Carson Blake, Vice-Chairman of the Commission on Race Relations of the National Council of Churches of Christ in America. 

    James Farmer, National Director of the Congress of Racial Equality. 

    Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., President of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

    Rabbi Joachim Prinz, President American Jewish Congress.

    A. Philip Randolph, President of the Negro American Labor Council.

    Walter Reuther, President, United Automobile Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America, AFL-CIO; Chairman, Industrial Union Department, AFL-CIO.

    Roy Wilkins, Executive Secretary, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

    Whitney M. Young, Jr., Executive Director, National Urban League.

    In addition, the March has been endorsed by major religious, fraternal, labor and civil rights organizations. A full list, too long to include here, will be published.

    WHAT WE DEMAND*

    1. Comprehensive and effective civil rights legislation from the present Congress–without compromise or filibuster– to guarantee all  

    Americans 

     

     

    access to all public accommodations

    decent housing

    adequate and integrated education

    the right to vote

     

    2. Withholding of Federal funds from all programs in which discrimination exists.

    3. Desegregation of all school districts in 1963.

    4. Enforcement of the Fourteenth Amendment–reducing Congressional representation of states where citizens are disenfranchised.

    5. A new Executive Order banning discrimination in all housing supported by federal funds.

    6. Authority for the Attorney General to institute injunctive suits when any constitutional right is violated.

    7. A massive federal program to train and place all unemployed workers–Negro and white–on meaningful and dignified jobs at decent wages.

    8. A national minimum wage act that will give all Americans a decent standard of living. (Government surveys show that anything less than $2.00 an hour fails to do this.)

    9. A broadened Fair Labor Standards Acts to include all areas of employment which are presently excluded.

    10. A federal Fair Employment Practices Act barring discrimination by federal, state, and municipal governments, and by employers, contractors, employment agencies, and trade unions.

    *Support of the March does not necessarily indicate endorsement of every demand listed. Some organizations have not had an opportunity to take an official position on all of the demands advocated here.

    Many thanks to the King Institute, MLKJP, GAMK, Martin Luther King, Jr. Papers (Series I-IV), Martin Luther King, Jr., Center for Nonviolent Social Change, Inc., Atlanta, Ga. Be sure to visit their resources on the March on Washington on their website. 

     

  • Link Roundup: Judging Memoirs, History of a Grand City, and the Health Effects of Racism

    Mentions for books older, books new, and books eagerly anticipated…

    In the Boston Globe, US District Court Judge Nancy Gertner discussed the anticipation and controversy surrounding her upcoming memoirs, In Defense of Women, which will be published in April. David Lat responded to the piece on Above the Law, defending Gertner's openness about her views.

    Eboo Patel was on CNN and Wordview on WBEZ discussing the Park 51 Islamic Cultural Center. 

    David Chura—author of I Don't Wish Nobody to Have a Life Like Mine—appeared in the Westchester County newspaper The Journal News. In the interview, Chura describes his experiences teaching incarcerated students.

    Listen to Stephen Puleo on WBUR's Radio Boston where he talks about his book, A City So Grand, documenting Boston's drastic changes and achievements between 1850 and 1900.

    Is racism bad for your health? This excerpt from Are We Born Racist suggests that it might be. Also check out this review by Beacon author Thomas N. DeWolf.

    Nobody Turn Me Around by Charles Euchner documents the events that took place behind the scenes of the historic 1963 March on Washington. The Christian Science Monitor ran a review highlighting some of the tensions between the organizers of the March.

    Say it ain't so, Susan! Our beloved Susan Campbell is shuttering the blog that shares its name with her book, Dating Jesus. You can still catch her on her Fear, Itself blog at the Hartford Courant website, but we'll miss her lively comment streams at DJ.

     

  • A Visit With the President

    Michelle J. Richard is Assistant to the Associate Publisher and Rights and Publicity Assistant at Beacon Press.

    Obama_Michelles_Mom
    President Barack Obama and Angela Richard

    Imagine my surprise this past Sunday afternoon when my mom called me with “I shouldn’t be telling you this over the phone but I’m just bursting from the excitement!” replacing her “Hello.”

    She launched into a detailed back story, and although I had no idea what news she was getting ready to spill, I could feel myself becoming giddy. Fantasies of lottery millions or free island getaway vacations decorated my mind.

    “Barack Obama is coming to our house!”

    So then I said, ok no really – tell me what’s going on.

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  • Do They Treat the Women Well?

    Susan Campbell is the author of Dating Jesus: A Story of Fundamentalism, Feminism, and the American Girl. Her writing has been recognized by the American Association of Sunday and Features Editors; National Women's Political Caucus; the Sunday Magazine Editors Association, and the Connecticut chapter of Society of Professional Journalists. She was also a member of the Courant's 1999 Pulitzer Prize-winning team for breaking news. This post originally appeared at her Dating Jesus blog.

    book cover for Dating Jesus So, I gave a speech the other night, and I gave a speech the night before that, too, and both were about Jesus, naturally. One was in a little white Congregational church (New England's lousy with 'em, the straight white steeple, the skinny doors) in a town not far from the town where I lived with my family for 16 years.

    And there were familiar faces, and some new ones. I spoke, people asked interesting questions, and then I signed books. Standing in line were two young women, one with those large holes in her ears, and unusual-colored hair. They'd bought a book between them. The unusual-colored hair teenager said she’d once attended the Congregational church, and now she and her friend go to a Bible church in a town nearby. My ears tingled, and I asked, “Do they treat the women well?” and they said yes, absolutely. I told them I appreciated that even at their tender age, they're making their own way through theology, and they moved on.

    Down the line was a young woman (14) and her mother. They bought a book but the young woman (her name was Annie) had called the book first so when they left, she had “Dating Jesus” clutched to her chest.

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  • We Need George Bush

    Eboo Patel is the author of Acts of Faith: The Story of an American Muslim, the Struggle for the Soul of a Generation. He is the founder and Executive Director of the Interfaith Youth Core, an international nonprofit building the interfaith youth movement. He was appointed by President Obama to the Advisory Council of the White House Office of Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships and serves on the Religious Advisory Committee of the Council on Foreign Relations. Patel writes "The Faith Divide" blog for The Washington Post, where this post originally appeared.

    Book cover for Acts of Faith Did American Muslims just get compared to Nazi's on national TV?

    The previous line was that moderate Muslims were not doing enough to
    stand up against the extremists. Now the category "moderate Muslim" has
    effectively ceased to exist for huge swaths of the country. In this
    alternative reality, Muslims, by definition, are extreme. All 1.5
    billion of us, including your American Muslim neighbor.

    Somebody call George Bush. His country needs him. Bad.

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  • Ramadan: Fasting, Feasting, and Focus

    Shelina Zahra Janmohamed is the author of Love in a Headscarf, forthcoming this fall from Beacon Press. She is a leading commentator on British Islam, a columnist for EMEL magazine, a regular contributor to the Guardian and the BBC, and author of the award-winning blog, Spirit21. This post originally appeared on The National website.

    Janmohamed My first memories of Ramadan are as a child during the long days of late summer in England. The fasts stretched from just after 2am, when the first light of dawn began to peep through the night sky, till 9pm when it finally set. This Ramadan will be the same.

    I was too young to fast then but old enough to know that something magical was happening in these 30 days. “Normal life” came to a stop, and everyone was swept up in the excitement and focused on praying, reading the Quran and of course, food.

    Barely five years old, I’d be packed off to bed at eight in the evening so I’d be fresh for school the next day, and as a result I missed out on participating in the family ritual of iftar when it got dark. Then the family would break their fasts with dates.

    There was a prayer that they always recited as they bit into their first morsel: “Oh my Lord, it is for You that I fasted, and it is with your sustenance that I break my fast.” It was a reminder that whether eating or not eating, everything was from God and for God.

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