In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

ix acknowledgments Although told primarily from my own perspective, this is truly a family memoir. It incorporates stories and memories from my mother and father, my sisters Ann and Sue, and brothers Paul and Mark. I thank each of them for allowing me to retell their stories through my own point of view. Ann truly deserves credit as coauthor of this volume. We have both been thinking about our time in Birmingham for fi#y years, building and shaping memories of life-changing experiences. More than a decade ago Ann tried valiantly to get her siblings organized and motivated to write our recollections of Alabama . Each of us wrote one or two such vignees, but we never matched Ann’s optimistic plans. Finally, in 2011 I decided to take on the project myself, with contributions from Ann, Paul, Sue, and Mark. I had already done research on the civil rights activities of my father and his colleagues and associates at the Atlanta University Center archives, the Birmingham Public Library archives (BPL), and the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute (BCRI) in 2002. In December 2011 I made another research trip to Alabama. Ann joined me to conduct research and tape an oral history interview at BCRI about our childhood experiences in Birmingham. As I began writing this memoir, Ann provided encouragement , moral support, and editing suggestions for my rough dra#s of every chapter and for later revised dra#s. She also composed the “Questions for Discussion” available on the press’s website. Mark also generously offered valuable editing and stylistic suggestions, as did Paul and Sue. I am especially grateful to the four of them for writing eloquent personal accounts of how the Birmingham years affected each of their lives. As I conducted research for this memoir, many archivists and librarians provided essential assistance and exemplary service. During my trips to Atlanta in 1988 and 2002, Karen Jefferson and Cathy Lynn Mundale of the Atlanta University Center’s Archives and Special Collections helped me x acknowledgments locate my father’s papers in the Southern Regional Council records, and made nearly four hundred pages of photocopies for me. At the Birmingham Public Library Department of Archives and Manuscripts during my research visits in 2002 and 2011, Jim Bagge lived up to his outstanding reputation among civil rights researchers, and Don Veasey provided generous and quick assistance in securing copies of photographs in 2013. In 2011 Ed Bridges and Norwood Kerr of the Alabama Department of Archives and History in Montgomery offered expert advice and permied Ann and me to examine unprocessed papers of Charles Morgan Jr., which proved very useful. Elizabeth Wells of Samford University Special Collections provided valuable information about Howard College and Homewood. The staff of the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute has been particularly helpful in providing information and research assistance. Archivist Laura Anderson, in particular, has become a collaborator on my project. I also thank BCRI president Dr. Lawrence J. Pijeaux Jr., founding president Odessa Woolfolk, and archivist Wayne Coleman. Jan Ballard of the American Baptist Historical Society and Lisa McNair, daughter of Chris McNair, provided permission to include two photographs for the book, and I deeply appreciate their assistance. One of the special joys of this project has been to reconnect with family friends from our Alabama years. Eileen Walbert and David Walbert have earned special places in my heart for their continued commitment to the movement and its legacy, as well as their warm hospitality. It was a special privilege to introduce Reverend Robert E. Hughes when he received a humanitarian award from the Whatcom Peace and Justice Center (Bellingham, Washington) in 2010, and to interview Bob and his wife Doie at their home in Issaquah, Washington, in January 2012. Sadly, Bob passed away before I could complete this book or help him write his autobiography. Bob’s nephew, Rev. Paul Hughes of Birmingham, provided valuable insights into his uncle’s career and, during our visit with him in 2011, he even offered a prayer for the research project Ann and I were conducting. Ann and I have enjoyed visiting with Bee Lee Hanson in Washington, D.C., and Ann is currently conducting a series of oral history interviews with her. I have also had the honor of meeting two former civil rights colleagues of my father, Reverend Fred Shulesworth in 2002 and Ambassador Andrew Young in 2005. As I began writing this memoir in 2012, Bob Zellner...

Share