Climbin' Jacob's Ladder : The Black Freedom Movement Writings of Jack O’Dell

This book collects for the first time the black freedom movement writings of Jack O'Dell and restores one of the great unsung heroes of the civil rights movement to his rightful place in the historical record. Climbin' Jacob's Ladder puts O'Dell's historically significant essays in context and reveals how he helped shape the civil rights movement. From his early years in the 1940s National Maritime Union, to his pioneering work in the early 1960s with Martin Luther King Jr., to his international efforts for the Rainbow Coalition during the 1980s, O'Dell was instrumental in the development of the intellectual vision and the institutions that underpinned several decades of anti-racist struggle. He was a member of the outlawed Communist Party in the 1950s and endured red-baiting throughout his long social justice career. This volume is edited by Nikhil Pal Singh and includes a lengthy introduction based on interviews he conducted with O'Dell on his early life and later experiences. Climbin' Jacob's Ladder provides readers with a firm grasp of the civil rights movement's left wing, which O'Dell represents, and illuminates a more radical and global account of twentieth-century US history. Climbin' Jacob's Ladder Collects For The First Time The Writings Of Jack O'dell And Restores One Of The Great Unsung Heroes Of The Civil Rights Movement To His Rightful Place In The Historical Record. Jack O'dell's Early Experiences Of Race And Class Conflict In The U.s. Merchant Marines During World War Ii, His Anti-racist Organizing In The National Maritime Union And In The Jim Crow South Of The 1940s And 1950s, His Voter Registration Campaigns With Martin Luther King, Jr. In The Early 1960s, His Anti-war And International Solidarity Work With The Rainbow Coalition During The 1970s And 1980s - These Stories Illuminate What Is Often Missing From Conventional Narratives Of The Effort To Secure Racial Justice In The United States. A Member Of The Outlawed Communist Party In The 1950s, Consistently Redbaited Throughout His Long Social Justice Career, O'dell Shows In His Life And Writings That The Black Freedom Movement Was Longer In Duration And More Radical And International In Scope Than Typically Understood. Historian Nikhil Pal Singh Gathered And Edited The Essays For This Volume And Provides An Introduction To A Nearly Forgotten Figure Whose Life And Work Were Central To The Development Of Several Decades Of Anti-racist Struggle And Remain Relevant Today.--jacket. Pt. 1, Tracing The Freedomway. Report On Voter Registration Work, Southern Christian Leadership Conference ; Foundations Of Racism In American Life ; Editorial, Freedomways Special Issue On Mississippi ; The Threshold Of A New Reconstruction ; A Colonized People ; The July Rebellions And The Military State ; Climbin' Jacob's Ladder : The Life And Times Of The Freedom Movement ; Charleston's Legacy To The Poor People's Campaign ; Report Of The Acting Executive Director, Southern Christian Leadership Conference ; A Rock In A Weary Lan' : Paul Robeson's Leadership And The Movement In The Decade Before Montgomery ; An Assessment : Push's First Five Years And Its Next Five ; On The Transition From Civil Rights To Civil Equality ; The Rainbow Coalition : Organizational Principles -- Pt. 2, Contemporary Reflections ; Democracy Charter ; Reclaiming The Second Reconstruction: Democracy, Class, And The Social Transformation Of The United States. Edited And Introduced By Nikhil Pal Singh. The George Gund Foundation Imprint In African American Studies--prelim. P. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Table of Contents......Page 8 Acknowledgments......Page 10 Introduction......Page 12 PART 1: TRACING THE FREEDOMWAY......Page 80 1. Report on Voter Registration Work, Southern Christian Leadership Conference......Page 82 2. Foundations of Racism in American Life......Page 91 3. Editorial, Freedomways Special Issue on Mississippi......Page 113 4. The Threshold of a New Reconstruction......Page 121 5. A Colonized People......Page 135 6. The July Rebellions and the "Military State"......Page 156 7. Climbin' Jacob's Ladder......Page 171 8. Charleston's Legacy to the Poor People's Campaign......Page 188 9. Report of the Acting Executive Director, Southern Christian Leadership Conference......Page 203 10. A Rock in a Weary Lan'......Page 210 11. An Assessment......Page 226 12. On the Transition from Civil Rights to Civil Equality......Page 233 13. The Rainbow Coalition......Page 266 PART 2: CONTEMPORARY REFLECTIONS......Page 272 14. Democracy Charter......Page 274 15. Reclaiming the Second Reconstruction......Page 285 Afterword......Page 306 Editor's Note......Page 309 Index......Page 310 University of California Press Table of Contents 8 Acknowledgments 10 Introduction 12 PART 1: TRACING THE FREEDOMWAY 80 1. Report on Voter Registration Work, Southern Christian Leadership Conference 82 2. Foundations of Racism in American Life 91 3. Editorial, Freedomways Special Issue on Mississippi 113 4. The Threshold of a New Reconstruction 121 5. A Colonized People 135 6. The July Rebellions and the "Military State" 156 7. Climbin' Jacob's Ladder 171 8. Charleston's Legacy to the Poor People's Campaign 188 9. Report of the Acting Executive Director, Southern Christian Leadership Conference 203 10. A Rock in a Weary Lan' 210 11. An Assessment 226 12. On the Transition from Civil Rights to Civil Equality 233 13. The Rainbow Coalition 266 PART 2: CONTEMPORARY REFLECTIONS 272 14. Democracy Charter 274 15. Reclaiming the Second Reconstruction 285 Afterword 306 Editor's Note 309 Index 310 ISBN-13:,9780520259584