White lies the double life of Walter F. White and America's darkest secret

"Walter F. White led two lives: one as a leader of the Harlem Renaissance and the NAACP in the early twentieth century; the other as a white newspaperman who covered lynching crimes in the Deep South at the blazing height of racial violence. Born mixed race and with very fair skin and straight...

Full description

Main Author: Baime, A. J. (Author)
Format: Books Print Book
Language: English
Published: Boston ; New York : Mariner Books, [2022]
Subjects:
Summary: "Walter F. White led two lives: one as a leader of the Harlem Renaissance and the NAACP in the early twentieth century; the other as a white newspaperman who covered lynching crimes in the Deep South at the blazing height of racial violence. Born mixed race and with very fair skin and straight hair, White was able to "pass" for white. He leveraged this ambiguity as a reporter, bringing to light the darkest crimes in America and helping to plant the seeds of the civil rights movement. White's risky career led him to lead a double life. He was simultaneously a second-class citizen subject to Jim Crow laws at home and a widely respected professional with full access to the white world at work. His life was fraught with internal and external conflict--much like the story of race in America. Starting out as an obscure activist, White ultimately became Black America's most prominent leader. A character study of White's life and career with all these complexities has never been rendered, until now"--
Physical Description: xiii, 384 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 24 cm
Bibliography: Includes bibliographical references (pages 324-367) and index.
ISBN: 9780358447757
0358447755
Author Notes: A. J. BAIME is the New York Times best-selling author of The Accidental President, Dewey Defeats Truman, The Arsenal of Democracy, and Go Like Hell. All but one of those books has been optioned for film or limited series television. Baime has been a regular contributor to the Wall Street Journal since 2010. A longtime resident of New York and Chicago, he lives in northern California.