University of North Carolina. Parents were my parents walther b gaither and fanny little gaither. Uh, great falls was my fathers home. My mother, fannie mae, was originally from anderson, South Carolina and my mom and dad met while they were students at friendship. College in rock hill, South Carolina. After they both graduated from friendship they moved permanently to great falls. Initially they were both schoolteachers. You could be a schoolteacher at that time with just a Junior College education. My dad did not stay in teaching because he discovered that what was listed on his contract as is per month payment for teaching was not the same as he this was thatand a time when the boards of education were all composed of white men. And so at the end of the year, my father approached the person who signed his voucher for, uh, payment and said, i noticed that there is a discrepancy here. Differenceve dollars between what he was supposed to be paid and what he was receiving. For questioni
November 2018 from Princeton University doctor. The author of several books including the history of a black National Anthem and breathe a will written as a letter to her son. Here is a portion. And all white people as individuals as opposed to whiteness as the identity. And going to the second paragraph what if we took this identity apart . To have that different history or our body and with that different relationship and to have as a consequence and with that relationship and sue say how the individual can be. Someone who was raised by a white man so if you take people like bob zellner that i think are some of the most precious people in the world and its important to me to not have a formulation from my sense of the struggle. Thats what im thinking. Before we move on to your other books, mothering black boys in america is a special calling. Yes. My mother said to me in a number of different ways. And secondly and then not necessarily helpful about the challenges the black boys face
Up next its booktv is monthly in Depth Program with author and Princeton University professor imani perry. Our books on race and africanamerican history include prophets of the hood, may we forever stand, and the recently published breathe a letter to my sons. Its a letter. Its a series of letters to my son, but of course, its also a letter to the larger world, both about, you know, the reality of the terror and anxiety and worries that comes along with being a parent of black children, and particularly black boys in the United States at this moment, but its also filled with my desire for them to lead a life of beauty and joy and excellence and selfregard. Much of which, i think, one finds a lessons for in an extraordinary tradition that we have to draw from. Where did you come up with the idea to write your sons a letter . Well, so, i actually have written them letters privately for years, but my editor, at beacon press said, is this something youd be interested in doing . In large pa
Professor, what is the structure of your newest book breathe. Fear, flight and fortune. It is a letter, a series of letters to my son but also a letter to the o larger world, bh about the reality of anxiety, the worry that comes along with being a parent of lack children in particular black boys at this moment in the United States. But also filled with my desire for them to lead a life of beauty and joy in excellence and self regard. Much of which i think has lessons for an extraordinary tradition we have. Where you come up with the idea to write your sent a lett letter. I actually have written him letters privately for years but my editor at the beacon press said is this something need be interested in doing because i talk about my children all the time. I write post about them on social media, initially, what we both had in mind was something that was a bit more lighthearted but then when i started to reflect on what it would mean to try to tell a story to them about my expectation a
The sitin movement and how that galvanizes the movement. It gets it really moving again by the late 1950s. Once again, it was College Students who get that movement rolling in 1960 and 1951. In 1960 and 1961. To the point where there are tens of thousands of people involved. We see that rolls over into freedom rights of 1961. We see that continuing, culminating on the march on washington in 1963. And the gigantic birmingham demonstration where there is the fantastic letter from the birmingham jail. What we are going to do today is take a step back. What is happening between 1961 and 1964 for sncc in particular. After it was created after the sit in movement, we know they were involved with the freedom rights at the end. We know they are wedded to nonviolent direct action, but what makes them do it . They will plan and execute one of the most ambitious civil rights call it a demonstration would not do it justice. One of the most incredible civil rights events of the era. They call it th