Dennis is a recipient of the 2021 American Mosaic journalism prize, is a National Association of black journalists salute to excellence award, and was named one of the routes 100 most influential africanamericans of 2020. He lives in georgia with his wife and two children and is a graduate of davidson college. His dad, david. Dennis senior, is a civil veteran. He attended Dillard University and earned his law degree, the university of michigan in 72. He codirected the challenge at the louisiana democrat structure that resulted in an africanamerican chairman and majority African American delegation being sent to the national convention. The time since reconstruction. He is executive director of the southern algebra project in cooperative and nonprofit organized that works to ensure quality for all children, especially children of color and the chronically underserved. This book, the movement, made us to give them a hand please. Dr. Leslie birrell, mack macklemore, a native of wallace, m
What prompted you to read the book this way . I wanted to write some thing to mark its 50th anniversary in business 50 years of my life, of kings legacy and his life coincided with my coming of age. So part of it was to do those two tasks. I felt i had connect it to the king legacy and yet i felt there was something about my life that needed to be told in order to understand how king impacted me and how i got involved in this amazing journey of editing kings papers. Well, its an excellent read. You and i are at the same generation i too am coming of age in the six days in the book i must say was bittersweet army because i knew dr. King. He was my mentor. I knew him to last years of his life. And bitter because the way he was taken from us because of racial hatred in this country. I guess we start at the beginning because the beginning of your book here on the mall with dr. King and near the end of your book, 50 years later with his monument, which you help to design. And in between, co
A they have so a few men to start with. Then they have to use units. They are constantly deploying troops to prevent slaves from running away to the enemy and joining the union army. They also have to divert troops to contain the deserters. They dont have any extra troops, so the pressure on them on numbers by the end by late 1864, by 1863 the secretary of war said there are no more white men to be had. And at that point, the conversation starts seriously about whether they have to use black soldiers. Its bizarre but i think the perfect arc of justice from slavery as an element of strength to, we have to consider emancipating the slaves to force them to enlist in the confederacy. So that is another story i tell in the book. They dont contemplate emancipation out of the goodness of their heart. A lot of people think that the confederacy chose independence over slavery because by the end, some people were willing to enlist slaves in the army but the Confederate Congress and the Virginia
Point. I could easily have seen how my life could not in a different direction. Host couldnt you have done with my brother michael and your brother james did. They joined the navy so they could divert the draft. Did you think about that . Guest i thought about that but by that time i was very politicized and i would have felt guilty that i was taking the easy way out. I think i knew that i could have gone into the military and i wouldnt have been sent to the frontline. I might have been sent to vietnam but by that time it was more the symbolism of it. I knew that i did not want to support that war. Host zero you know a lot of young people our age, black people our age at that time had difficulty reconciling or not having all the rights that whites had and then serving this country and taking a risk. Mohammed ali. Guest if i was going to fight for democracy i would have done it in mississippi and alabama. I didnt have to go 10,000 miles to fight for democracy. Host did you ever think ab
Up next on booktv, after words with guest host author and playwright Janet Langhart cohen. This week a story in Clayborne Carson and his latest martins dream my journey and the legacy of Martin Luther king, jr. In it he reveals his journey from teenage Civil Rights Activist to being present at the 1963 march on washington to editor of Martin Luther king jr. s papers. He includes encounters with many leaders and organizers in the Civil Rights Movement including ella baker, the Dorothy Carmichael and the king family. Its about an hour. Host dr. Carson thanks for joining me on after words. Guest its my pleasure. Host europe but martins dream is a memoir and a history book. In the book you talk about your personal journey and you are very candid about your life and you also cover new insights as a historian to the life and legacy of dr. Martin luther king, jr. What prompted you to write the book this way . Guess go well i wanted to write something to market 50th anniversary and i realized