Dissent Magazine has an interview with Charles E. Cobb Jr., a noted journalist who also worked for SNCC as a field secretary.  In the interview Cobb discusses the role of Ella Baker and the decline of SNCC after 1964, including his view (shared by many others) that SNCC’s success lead to its downfall.

Prior to 1965, the attitude of a lot of people, the NAACP for instance, was that these places were too difficult to work in. Plus, the white leadership of southern states—the “Dixiecrats”—was politically powerful, part of the national ruling establishment. I think the key moment is the challenge by the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party to the all-white Democratic Party of Mississippi. Once it became apparent that powerful voices and forces were developing in this state, like Fannie Lou Hammer or Annie Devine, the establishment decided to step in.

You can read the entire interview by clicking here.

If you were selected to serve as a “Commentator” for this week’s “Collective Discussion” then you are expected to post a comment below relating to the reading assignment and/or our in-class discussion.

Your comment is due no later than Wednesday, February 22nd at 9:35 a.m. PST.

There are numerous places to find historical primary sources online. The challenge is trust. Is this what the provider says it is? Is the source accurate t the original? Has it been compromised in any way?

Broadly speaking, there are two kinds you will find: 1) digital scans of the original primary document OR 2) digital transcriptions or reproductions of the original. For obvious reasons, it is best to find the first sort from a source provider that can be trusted.

Here are just some of the more trustworthy sites you may find helpful as you seek out sources related to postwar movements by communities of color:

1. American Memory (Library of Congress)

2. MLK Papers Project (MLK Institute)

3. National Civil Rights Museum

4. A website by veterans of SNCC & COFO who now live in the Bay Area

5. Voices of Civil Rights (Library of Congress)

6. Farm Worker Documentation Project (by veterans of the UFW)

There are scores and scores of websites out there which might offer a source or two related to various movements.  You can usually find those by searching for the specific organization or movement, or sometimes the city in which the movement occurred.  You should have a preference for digital scans of the original documents, rather than reproductions.

There are also various PBS websites related to documentaries which aired on the network (such as: Eyes on the Prize; The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow; and others).

We begin our first of three topical transitions this week as we move from the Black Freedom Struggle to the farmworker and Chicano/Latino movements. This doesn’t mean we leave our discussion of African American movement behind.  One of the fundamental arguments of our class relates to the interrelatedness of the various movements we discuss and the potential for understanding when we examine them in concert wth one another.

On TUESDAY we will have our regular class discussion based on two digital readings (DR 6 and 7).  The first is a primary source from Malcolm X and the second is from a secondary source on the United Farm Workers union.  For simplicity sake, I recommend you craft your prep sheet with reading 7 in mind, since we will have no problem coming up with things to say about Malcolm X.  After our discussion we will have a chance to delve deeper into some of the issues in Malcolm’s speech as we have a short lecture on radicalism.

On THURSDAY we will have an in-class lecture and informal discussion on the farmworker’s movement.  To prepare, you should try to watch the online documentary called “The Struggle in the Fields,” which is episode 1 of a four-part documentary series called Chicano! A History of the Mexican American Civil Rights Movement. You can find it online via YouTube by clicking here.

You will also turn in your second Critical Evaluation exercise (CE2).  This is a 2-3 page interpretation of the primary source provided to you as DR 8.  It is an early document from the farmworker’s movement, an opportunity to examine some of its features in specific detail.

I understand if you don’t have time to watch the documentary because you run out of time after writing your CE2 assignment.  It is more important to complete the written assignment than the film at this time.

Sorry for the delay with this week’s discussion post. I entered the wrong date in the scheduled publishing line.  Ooops.

If you were selected to serve as a “Commentator” for this week’s “Collective Discussion” then you are expected to post a comment below relating to the reading assignment and/or our in-class discussion.

Your comment is due no later than Wednesday, February 15th at 9:35 a.m. PST.

We’ll continue our investigation of the Black Freedom Struggle this week. We’ll also get a chance to begin thinking about our semester research project.

On Tuesday we will have a collaborative discussion. Your reading assignment is the next digital reading (DCR 05), a few chapters from a book by historian Peniel E. Joseph. You also have a “watching” assignment, the documentary “Freedom on My Mind” about the early years of SNCC. Both will figure into our class discussions, although you need not address the film in your weekly “prep sheet.” We’ll follow up our discussion with a short lecture and a presentation on the first part of your “Teaching the Freedom Struggle” research project.

On Thursday we will have a class guest, community organizer Mike Miller. We’ll have the opportunity to ask him some questions about his life experience as well as run a more focused inquiry of the mechanics of organizing and the events surrounding the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP).

See you then!

If you were selected to serve as a “Commentator” for this week’s “Collective Discussion” then you are expected to post a comment below relating to the reading assignment and/or our in-class discussion.

Your comment is due no later than Wednesday, February 8th at 9:35 a.m. PST.

This week we’ll discuss the life and career of Martin Luther King Jr. within the context of how “movement history” is constructed. We’ll also begin our study of the youth-led movements of the early Sixties, in particular the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (or SNCC).

On Tuesday we’ll have a short lecture after our regular collective discussion. You are expected to read the selected chapters from Charles Payne’s thorough study of SNCC, I’ve Got the Light of Freedom (provided to you as DCR03). It will compliment last week’s reading from historian Clayborne Carson on the same topic. As always, type up a “prep sheet” (relating to DCR03) for use in our class discussion.

For Tuesday’s class you are also expected to watch a documentary called “Freedom Riders.” It tells the thrilling story of youth activists and their bold attempt to desegregate the interstate bus system. To watch the film, login to your personal Sakai account; select the tab called “CH HIST 25.1 SP12″; on the left sidebar menu click “Videos”; and then access the film by clicking on our playlist. The film will play directly in the Sakai window. If you have problems, read the Video 47 instructions.

On Thursday we’ll have a longer lecture and a less formal discussion on the three historical documents you are expected to read, provided to you as DCR04. This will help frame a foundation of understanding upon which our in-class discussion will build.

Have a great weekend!

If you were selected to serve as a “Commentator” for this week’s “Collective Discussion” then you are expected to post a comment below relating to the reading assignment and/or our in-class discussion.

Your comment is due no later than Wednesday, February 1st at 9:35 a.m. PST.

We’ll conclude our discussion of the Montgomery Bus Boycott this week as we conclude our discussion on the Jo Ann Gibson Robinson book and continue making setting the stage for our larger analysis of postwar movements.

On Tuesday we will begin our class with our regular Collective Discussion. Come prepared to share your perspectives on the reading assignment, the remainder of the Robinson book. As always, you are expected to bring a printed-out “prep sheet” to class for us to use as we build our collective understanding. With the remainder of class we’ll make some connections to the broader issues of the time.

On Thursday we’ll watch a documentary in class, rounding out our examination of this pivotal moment and introducing some new themes and historical forces for us to consider. While we won’t have time to discuss it, you have a reading assignment (DCR 2; provided to you via the password-protected page above) which will help you better understanding the connections we’ll begin making next week.

Be healthy!