Freedom libraries the untold story of libraries for African Americans in the South

"Although illegal, racial segregation was strictly enforced in a number of American states, and public libraries were not immune. Numerous libraries were desegregated on paper only: there would be no cards given to African Americans, no books for them to read, and no furniture for them to use. It wa...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Selby, Mike, 1976- (Author)
Format: Books Print Book
Language:English
Published: Lanham : Rowman & Littlefield, [2019]
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Summary:"Although illegal, racial segregation was strictly enforced in a number of American states, and public libraries were not immune. Numerous libraries were desegregated on paper only: there would be no cards given to African Americans, no books for them to read, and no furniture for them to use. It was these exact conditions that helped create Freedom Libraries. Over eighty of these parallel libraries appeared in the Deep South, staffed by civil rights voter registration workers. While the grassroots nature of the libraries meant they varied in size and quality, all of them created the first encounter many African Americans had with a library. Terror, bombings, and eventually murder would be visited on the Freedom Libraries--with people giving up their lives so others could read a library book. This book delves into how these libraries were the heart of the Civil Rights Movement and the remarkable courage of the people who used them"--Back cover.
Physical Description:xiv, 193 pages : illustrations, portraits ; 24 cm
Bibliography:Includes bibliographical references (pages 183-185) and index.
ISBN:9781538182444
1538182440
9781538115534
1538115530
Author Notes:Mike Selby is a professional librarian. He received his MLIS from the University of Alabama, which is where he first unearthed the story of the Freedom Libraries. He is also a newspaper columnist, haying published over 900 articles shout libraries, reading, and print culture-much of it covering libraries during the Civil Rights Movement. He has also had two peer-reviewed academic pieces published, both on this topic.