"Troublemaker" Memories of the Freedom Movement
"Troublemaker" Memories of the Freedom Movement is the personal, boots-on-the-ground story of Bruce Hartford's service in the American Civil Rights Movement. One of the many Jews who allied themselves with the African-American struggle for justice and equality in the early and mid-1960s, he served first with the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) and then on the field staff of Dr. King's organization the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) in Alabama and Mississippi.
He participated in the 1963 March on Washington and was present for Dr. King's " I Have a Dream" speech. He was active in the Selma Voting Rights Campaign and was part of the March to Montgomery, actions for which he and others were awarded the "Foot Soldiers for Justice" Congressional Medal.
After the Selma campaign he became director of the Crenshaw County Alabama voter registration project in 1965, then participated in the Meredith March Against Fear in Mississippi in 1966, and until 1967 was a field organizer in Grenada, Mississippi during the long and bloody struggle to end segregation and win voter rights in that county.
This first-person account provides a clear, easy to read, three-dimensional view of what it was like to be a nonviolent "troublemaker for good" in mid-century America. It is a forceful, humble, warm, and humorous story about how one individual, together with others of the same mind, helped curve the path of history - a story as important in today's climate as it was in the sixties.
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"John Lewis told us to make 'good trouble.' We get a special gift in this tradition with Bruce Hartford's memoir, "Troublemaker." In telling about his life in the Civil Rights Movement, he gives us a feeling for what it was actually like to live through that period and he shares lessons so that we can learn what do to carry on those struggles today. Bruce's forceful, humble, warm, humorous character shines throughout. This is a book that helps us learn about history so we can shape it for the future. It is a joy to read."
--HEATHER BOOTH, organizer, and founder of Midwest Academy
"This is a must-read chronicle for anyone seeking to gain greater insight into the critical years of the Freedom movement, the civil rights movement, and the challenges of activism in America. The March on Washington, Selma, CORE, SCLC, SNCC, Martin Luther King, Jr. - all placed within a unique perspective. Bruce Hartford relates this important story with compassion, energy and a palpable sense of humor. It is his story, intimate and personal; but also his activist parents' story, and our collective story, no matter where we once were or where we are now on the political spectrum.
--JENNIFER LAWSON, SNCC veteran and former Head of Programming for PBS
"Bruce Hartford's well-written and engaging memoir combines vivid detail with thoughtful analysis. His compelling account of one person's movement experiences is an important read and it will be of particular interest to those who look to the past as part of their struggle for justice today."
--EMILY CROSBY, author of "A Little Taste of Freedom"
"Inspiring. A gripping and emotional first person account of a young man's commitment and experiences in the Civil Rights Movement. Reading this book, I felt intimately connected with the highs and lows, as well as the fears and courage of those who participated in this period of our history. Hartford has provided an important story about how one individual, together with others of the same mind, can curve the path of history. As important in today's climate as it was in the sixties."
-- JUDITH FRIEZE WRIGHT, Freedom Rider & CORE
hrough the use of specific details about people, places, and dates, the author gives the reader a three dimensional view of what it was like fighting for fair housing, quality education, and employment in the North. The reader's three-dimensional view continues its journey South to the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, the March from Selma to Montgomery and the Mississippi March Against Fear.
-- COURTLAND COX, SNCC, Chair of the SNCC Legacy Board
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