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Crossroads at Clarksdale: The Black Freedom Struggle in the Mississippi Delta After World War II
Weaving national narratives from stories of the daily lives and familiar places of local residents, Francoise Hamlin chronicles the slow struggle for black freedom through the history of Clarksdale, Mississippi. Hamlin paints a full picture of the town over fifty years, recognizing the accomplishments of its diverse African American community and strong NAACP branch, and examining the extreme brutality of entrenched power there. The Clarksdale story defies triumphant narratives of dramatic change, and presents instead a layered, contentious, untidy, and often disappointingly unresolved civil rights movement.Following the black freedom struggle in Clarksdale from World War II through the first decade of the twenty-first century allows Hamlin to tell multiple, interwoven stories about the town's people, their choices, and the extent of political change. She shows how members of civil rights organizations, especially local leaders Vera Pigee and Aaron Henry, worked to challenge Jim Cr
- GenresHistory
392 pages, Paperback
First published May 28, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 31, 2020
mandatory read for anyone interested in justice work...completely upends the notion of activist work through the civil rights movement as a golden, romanticized, and simple project by excavating the ruptures and continuities in work which took place over long, slow years. the focus on local work and organizing in conversation with national politics tells a more unique and convoluted narrative which sheds light on how we got to the current moment. beautifully written, and reads like a novel
February 4, 2021
As much as I wanted to really like this book, it's tendency of getting lost in the internal minutia during this time period, ultimately lowered my rating. Important gains were accomplished during the Civil Rights Movement, but this book tended to overly emphasize the "competition" and squabbles between groups and individuals.
December 26, 2022
A well researched yet readable history of the civil rights movement in Clarksdale, MS. Located in the Mississippi Delta, Clarksdale’s traditional Deep South culture was challenged from within by the local Black community and from without by national organisations and federal government. Hamilton highlights the stories of the key figures along with the opposition to racial justice.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews