My race to freedom : a life in the Civil Rights Movement

The civil rights movement was defined by figures thrust into positions of importance; be they participants in a sit-in, Freedom Riders, or marchers in protests, those involved with the movement didn't imagine being in that position ten years earlier. Gwendolyn Patton's life centered around Detroit, Michigan, until she came to Montgomery in 1956 to visit relatives and found herself in the midst of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. That experience sparked a lifetime of civil rights activism, as Patton became a member of the Montgomery Improvement Association, supported the Freedom Riders, organized in Tuskegee, and participated in the Selma-to-Montgomery march. Patton came to call Montgomery her home, and the movement and its legacy became the most important aspect of her life. My Race to Freedom is the story of how a young woman found her voice and used it to help her community. "The Civil Rights Movement was defined by figures thrust into positions of importance; be they participants in a sit-in, a Freedom Rider, or marching in protest, those involved with the movement didn't imagine being in that position ten years earlier. Gwendolyn Patton's life centered around Detroit, Michigan, until she came to Montgomery in 1956 to visit relatives and found herself in the midst of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. That experience sparked a lifetime of civil rights activism, as Patton became a member of the Montgomery Improvement Association, supported the Freedom Riders, organized students in Tuskegee, and participated in the Selma-to-Montgomery march as a young woman. Patton came to call Montgomery her home, and the movement and its continuing legacy became the most important aspect of her life. 'My Race to Freedom' is the story of how a young woman found her voice and used it to help her community"-- Provided by publisher Roots -- Freedom Bound -- Freedom Land -- Upbringing -- Walking For Freedom -- Leaving Childhood -- Coming Home -- Off To College -- A Movement Where You Are -- Returning To Tuskegee Institute -- Returning To My Childhood Source -- Movement On The Rise -- Marching And Demonstrating -- Student Affairs -- Harlem Interlude -- Sncc And Black/white Issues -- Sammy Younge Jr. -- Student Teaching And Graduation -- Macon, Lowndes, And Atlanta -- Jailed For Talking -- If You Can't Run For Freedom, Then Hobble -- Among The Leftists In Nyc -- Soldiers To Soldiers -- Students And Workers Unite! -- Vicissitudes Of Life -- Settling Crosswinds -- Freedom Struggles In The African Diaspora -- Back In The Classroom And The Church -- Expanding My Human Understanding -- Epilogue. Gwendolyn Patton ; Foreword By Bob Moses. Includes Bibliographical References. Electronic Reproduction. Ann Arbor, Mi Available Via World Wide Web. Gwendolyn Patton's parents moved north from Alabama to Detroit in the Great Migration, ensuring that their children would avoid the worst that the post-Reconstruction South had to offer. As a young woman, Patton would return to Montgomery, Alabama, just in time for the civil rights movement, becoming engaged in protests and political demonstrations as a student at Tuskegee University. Shocked by the subjugation of black Americans in the South, she would participate in landmark civil rights events, such as the Selma-to-Montgomery March led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. My Race to Freedom is the story of how Patton's eyes were opened to the injustices of the Jim Crow South and how one young woman helped make equality a reality for Southern African Americans.