The silencing of Ruby McCollum : race, class, and gender in the South

__The Silencing of Ruby McCollum__ refutes the carefully constructed public memory of one of the most famous—and under-examined—biracial murders in American history. On August 3, 1952, African American housewife Ruby McCollum drove to the office of Dr. C. LeRoy Adams, beloved white physician in the segregated small town of Live Oak, Florida. With her two young children in tow, McCollum calmly gunned down the doctor during (according to public sentiment) “an argument over a medical bill.” Soon, a very different motive emerged, with McCollum alleging horrific mental and physical abuse at Adams’s hand. In reaction to these allegations and an increasingly intrusive media presence, the town quickly cobbled together what would become the public facade of Adams’s murder—a more “acceptable” motive for McCollum’s actions. To ensure this would become the official version of events, McCollum’s trial prosecutors voiced multiple objections during her testimony to limit what she was allowed to say. Employing multiple methodologies to achieve her voice—historical research, feminist theory, African American literary criticism, African American history, and investigative journalism—Evans analyzes the texts surrounding the affair to suggest that an imposed code of silence demands not only the construction of an official story but also the transformation of a community’s citizens into agents who will reproduce and perpetuate this version of events, improbable and unlikely though they may be. The Silencing Of Ruby Mccollum Refutes The Carefully Constructed Public Memory Of One Of The Most Famous - And Underexamined - Biracial Murders In American History. On August 3, 1952, African American Housewife Ruby Mccollum Drove To The Office Of Dr. C. Leroy Adams, Beloved White Physician In The Segregated Small Town Of Live Oak, Florida. With Her Two Young Children In Tow, Mccollum Calmly Gunned Down The Doctor During (according To Public Sentiment) An Argument Over A Medical Bill. Soon, A Very Different Motive Emerged, With Mccollum Alleging Horrific Mental And Physical Abuse At Adams's Hand. In Reaction To These Allegations And An Increasingly Intrusive Media Presence, The Town Quickly Cobbled Together What Would Become The Public Facade Of Adams's Murder - A More Acceptable Motive For Mccollum's Actions. Employing Multiple Methodologies To Achieve Her Voice - Historical Research, Feminist Theory, African American Literary Criticism, African American History, And Investigative Journalism - Tammy Evans Analyzes The Texts Surrounding The Affair To Suggest That An Imposed Code Of Silence Demands Not Only The Construction Of An Official Story But Also The Transformation Of A Community's Citizens Into Agents Who Will Reproduce And Perpetuate This Version Of Events, Improbable And Unlikely Though They May Be.--book Jacket. Words And Doing: The Politics Of Silence In Southern Rhetoric -- It Was All Routine: The Trial(s) Of Ruby Mccollum -- Discourses Of Contention: Punctuating Mccollum's Sentence(s) Of Silence. Tammy Evans ; Foreword By Jacqueline Jones Royster ; Afterword By Lynn Worsham. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [161]-167) And Index. Table of Contents 10 Foreword by Jacqueline Jones Royster 12 Acknowledgments 18 Introduction 20 1. "Words and Doing": The Politics of Silence in Southern Rhetoric 34 2. "It Was All Routine": The Trial(s) of Ruby McCollum 76 3. Discourses of Contention: Punctuating McCollum’s Sentence(s) of Silence 110 Conclusion 160 Afterword by Lynn Worsham: The Politics 176 Appendix: Zora Neale Hurston’s "My Impressions of the Trial" 180 Works Cited 194 Index 202 This groundbreaking work reads like a murder mystery, only in this case what has been killed is our American integrity and the right of an individual to a fair trial. Evans has finally addressed the pervasive silence that distorts, fragments, and threatens to bury the history of so many southern places and people.