"Carmichael encountered great poverty in the Delta but also witnessed even greater courage. Local people loved him, and he returned their trust and admiration with an affection that soon turned to reverence. Blacks in Mississippi, Carmichael observed, carried themselves with an unassuming dignity and grace he found remarkable. Poor, unlettered sharecroppers made the well-educated young activist proud to be black. Their determination to pursue citizenship and democracy in the face of violence and terror offered profound lessons that he would carry with him for the rest of his life. Living, working, and struggling in Mississippi obliterated Carmichael's preconceived notions about the Delta. He recognized himself as less a missionary on a holy crusade to save wayward souls and more an explorer who had stumbled upon lifelong teachers. 'I met heroes,' Stokely remembered. 'Humble folk, of slight formal education and modest income, who managed to be both generous and wise, who took us in, fed us, instructed us, protected us, and ultimately civilized, educated, and inspired the smart-assed college students.
"Women formed the backbone of the Mississippi movement. ..."
P.48, STOKELY: A LIFE, by Peniel E. Joseph (Basic Civitas: 2014)
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
STOKELY: A LIFE, EXCERPT
"Carmichael encountered great poverty in the Delta but also witnessed even greater courage. Local people loved him, and he returned their trust and admiration with an affection that soon turned to reverence. Blacks in Mississippi, Carmichael observed, carried themselves with an unassuming dignity and grace he found remarkable. Poor, unlettered sharecroppers made the well-educated young activist proud to be black. Their determination to pursue citizenship and democracy in the face of violence and terror offered profound lessons that he would carry with him for the rest of his life. Living, working, and struggling in Mississippi obliterated Carmichael's preconceived notions about the Delta. He recognized himself as less a missionary on a holy crusade to save wayward souls and more an explorer who had stumbled upon lifelong teachers. 'I met heroes,' Stokely remembered. 'Humble folk, of slight formal education and modest income, who managed to be both generous and wise, who took us in, fed us, instructed us, protected us, and ultimately civilized, educated, and inspired the smart-assed college students.
"Women formed the backbone of the Mississippi movement. ..."
P.48, STOKELY: A LIFE, by Peniel E. Joseph (Basic Civitas: 2014)