In the Shadow of Selma - by Cynthia Griggs Fleming (Paperback)

About the Book

Although the events of Selma and Birmingham are burned into the nation's consciousness, little has been written about the civil rights events in the surrounding counties, the vast sections of the rural south. Cynthia Griggs Fleming addresses this gap by bringing to light the s...

Book Synopsis

Although the events of Selma and Birmingham are burned into the nation's consciousness, little has been written about the civil rights events in the surrounding counties, the vast sections of the rural south. Cynthia Griggs Fleming addresses this gap by bringing to light the struggle for equality of the citizens of Wilcox County, Alabama. Although right next door to Selma, their story has been largely ignored. Through the eyes of the residents of the county, Fleming relates a struggle punctuated by cowardice and courage, audacity and timidity, fear and foolishness. And, in the end, the entrenched power structure refused to yield and the county remains segregated to this day.

Review Quotes

Cynthia Griggs Fleming has performed a remarkable feat. She has made the black freedom struggle in Wilcox County Alabama as compelling to read about as that in the better known, neighboring town of Selma in Dallas County. For all those interested in untold stories of the civil rights movement, this is the place to start. Simply put, this book is one of the finest we have in bringing together local and national, social and political histories of the civil rights struggle not just from 1954-1965, but throughout the entire twentieth century.

In her study of the African American freedom struggle in Wilcox County, Alabama, Cynthia Griggs Fleming uncovers the 'hidden' history of black activism in the rural South. . . . In the Shadow of Selma: The Continuing Struggle for Civil Rights in the Rural South, as the title suggests, is a community-based study that traces the ongoing efforts on the part of rural black Alabamians to achieve equality with their white neighbors. . . . The author skillfully recounts the continuity of black protests from the late nineteenth century to the present day with compelling personal histories. Fleming is also adept at demonstrating that violence played an important role in black protests (even during the so-called 'non-violent' period of civil rights activism). Perhaps the most successful aspect of In the Shadow of Selma is Fleming's discussion of the divisions within Wilcox County's black communities. Class, ethnic, generational, and political differences are especially prevalent in the final two chapters of the book where Fleming focuses on the 'post-movement' period. These chapters and the stories revealed in them are perhaps the most important in the book.

The author skillfully uses the fruits of her oral history research to portray the people, the policies, and the progression of the struggle for political and educational equality. This is a valuable study for students, scholars, and general readers. Recommended.

The well-known march in Selma, Alabama in 1965 may have brought black voting rights and some political power. Fleming's book, however, graphically shows the plight of black rural dwellers today-right down the road in Wilcox County-where exploitation and degradation will continue until a national policy and political will brings sweeping changes. This holds true for rural areas throughout the south as well as in urban ghettos.

About the Author

Cynthia Griggs Fleming is associate professor of history at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She has written extensively on the civil rights movement of the 1960s and is the author of Soon We Will Not Cry: The Liberation of Ruby Doris Smith Robinson.