Black, White, and Southern: Race Relations and Southern Culture, 1940 to the Present

Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments Historians' research interests usually operate in a stream ofconsciousness . One topic suggests another, and that yet another, and so on. Sometimes the stream veersoff into ashallow eddy from which we can hope to extricate ourselves without getting mired. On other, more fortunate occasions, the stream widens, deepens, and quickens, feeding a fertile valley of ideas, questions, interpretations, and conclusions . No historian makes this journey alone. We take along the work and ideas of students, other scholars, novelists, journalists, and the various grassroots sages we have met along the way. Southern historians have additional company. We travel with the lore and feeling ofa special region. With all this weight, it is little wonder that we need a deep channel to carry on our work. But without it, we are rudderless minds, easily disoriented. The bibliographical essay at the end of this book is a tribute to my pilots and guides. Harvard Sitkoff deserves special mention for his careful reading of the manuscript and his helpful suggestions. My students also share a hand in the book since their incredulity at what the South was like a short generation ago first prompted me to write this story. Barbara Lisenby, director of interlibrary loan at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte, was relentless in tracking down material for me. Jeff Simpson and his staff at the university's cartographic lab provided prompt and expert service. The staffs at the Library of Congress and the National Archives were helpful, as were Don Veasey of the Birmingham Public Library, Jane Smith of the Valentine Museum in Richmond, and Elaine Kirkland of the Atlanta Historical Society. A grant from the Southern Regional Education Board enabled me to travel to these sites. UNC-Charlotte generouslygranted me a leave of absence for a term to write this book, and ViceChancellor James H. Werntz, Jr., and Dean Schley Lyons have been supportive of my research and writing activities. I especially appreciate my colleagues in the history department, who have provided a stimulating and congenial atmosphere for me and my work. This is my third book with Louisiana State University Press. As in xvn xviii Acknowledgments the past, I've benefited from an array ofexperts who turned thepublication process into a pleasurable experience. Beverly Jarrett, formerly associate director of the press, encouragedthe project from the outset. Margaret Fisher Dalrymple, senior editor, not only encouraged but participated in copyediting the manuscript, as did Catherine Landry. And marketing director Cathy Silvia promises to make the book known far and wide, or at least as far as Shreveport. Most of all, I thank my family. My parents, as well as my aunt and uncle Mary and Charles Gainor, taught me the joys of reading and writing at an early age. As a child, I recall listening intently to my parents' stories of their years in segregated Memphis. My wife, MarieLouise , and children, Erik and Eleanor, have shown their love and particularly their patience. Idedicate this book to my children whoare fortunate to be growing up in the South at this time. Black, White, and Southern This page intentionally left blank ...