Legacy and the fact that it started with doctor billington, the 13th librarian of congress, i am the 14th and laura bush, the first lady at the time. It emphasizes the prominence of the joy of reading and promoting reading and it was outside and there were concerns that if it gets rained out it has moved to the Convention Center in washington dc, you dont have to worry about rain. It is bigger, there are all kinds of venues that it has that mall feel, you walk around and there are all types of things, you can buy the book and have the books autographed by the author and as always a thrill. When does planning for the start . It starts as soon as one festival is over, within a week, what happened, what works, what didnt work, was we want to do and improve and start working on it right away. Do you have direct involvement or get updated on what is happening . I have to tell you i have more involvement than you might think because this is the essence of what we are about at the library of congress. Being involved, making sure we have a balance in types of authors and programming. Booktv will be live at the main stage and the history and biography attend as well. There are call ins. That is wonderful to have the call ins, people can actively participate. If everybody cant make it physically to washington dc. To be able to view and participate with authors live while happening, that adds so much, and they feel part of it. What are the proplaps and cons of holding it open . People, last days of summer before school is kicking in, some schools start before labor day. I am old enough, might be when everybody went to school, that is the last weekend and to have books, that type of activity, something you can do that saturday, labor day weekend, when you are having a cookout, school supplies, all of that is a great way to get the mind working again but in a fun way. Who are the partners for the library of congress . One partner, a person who has been so reported over the years is mister rubenstein, david rubenstein. He has been a major supporter of this effort. When we look at the literacy groups and other groups including cspan it adds to what we can have. Have you thought about doing two days . For a while it was two days. We thought about it and wondering if we can do it. We are finding that having one day, especially with live capacity so people dont miss out, it might be good to think about having it it is a festival. People have been asking, we will look into it. Is it a costly undertaking . I mentioned mister rubenstein, one of the major funders of the festival and that has helped quite a bit and it helps with being able to provide a lot of support. There is a lot of staff involved. People will see folks with tshirts and head phones and making sure everything is okay and being able to make sure we have the security we really have, all the things you need. Carla hayden, have states approached you about the National Book festival, wanting to create their own . Yes. I am attending the mississippi book festival and i understand it is the third year the state of mississippi, other states, texas is one of the biggest and first, wisconsin, we are trying to make sure we reach out as the library of congress and support that. Booktv will be live, the 17th annual National Book festival in washington dc Convention Center, saturday, labor day weekend, live with author events and call ins, full schedules available at booktv. Org. Not very good. [inaudible conversations] live coverage of the mississippi book festival in jackson continues now with an offer panel on pivotal moments in mississippi history. Good afternoon and welcome to state session on mississippi history. A few things i would like to point out. If you could please silence your cell phones, please feel free to take any pictures and if you would like, we would love to have you send them to hashtag Literary Lawn Party or hashtag ms book festival. I would like to introduce you to the sponsor of our session today. Our sponsor today is humanities council, Mister Stewart rockoff is the director. [applause] thank you very much. Im here to do two things. One is to say the session is sponsored with the National Endowment for the humanities as part of their race initiative. And then pamela junior, was previously the director of the Smith Robertson museum down the street and several months ago, the director of the mississippi civil rights museum. Which will be open to the public and to the people of mississippi, december 9th, who better . Pamela. Thank you so much. I am a big fan of these folks. What i decided to do is ask individual questions than a general question. Very good. I will introduce everybody, Charles W Eagles and i was told your students would be in here. The university of mississippi since 1983, his books include outside agitator, the Civil Rights Movement in america, civil rights culture and war, the fight over mississippi textbook. Next we have doctor jeffrey howell, his professional career as a baptist minister and college instructor. As native of mississippi doctor howell has interest in the history of race, White Supremacy and the black struggle for civil rights. He is the author of brendan smith, the female next Carter Connor dalton lyon, native of lexington, kentucky. He teaches the History Department at st. Mary, the author of segregation, the story of the Jackson Church visit campaign. Next we have carol silver. 1961, became a freedom writer, 22yearold secretary working at United Nations headquarters, and the seemingly ordinary individuals in an extraordinary civil rights campaign. Next we have wallace hawkins, part of the Civil Rights Movement activities in the state during the 1960s, he became a member of the organization, in 1961 he was a county organizer for 1964 freedom summer and with the mississippi freedom court, a major lawsuit, it was the case like so many cases went on and on for 5 or 6 years, finally the case was decided in favor of the plaintiffs and federal judge ordered the Textbook Commission to approve it and so it was on the approved list for 1980. The problem was by then the textbook was old and out of date so it was never as widely adopted in the state but what it did do is have a profound effect on the way history books dealt with and this is not just white people, it could be anybody in the state and gave africanamericans a history they can understand on their own. I did not like quoting my own words in a setting like this but i will quote one person, a black mother in carbondale, mississippi told harvard kohls, the harvard psychologist in 1964, this is what she said and this explains what they wanted to do and what they did do. This is her language dont blame me for this. Here, all they learn is they havent got a chance in the world except to serve the white man, be under him, do what he wants, they dont get much out of school, our people are not supposed to take their education too seriously, we are supposed to do the dirty work, the white man is supposed to do the learning. I have seen the book they give our children in school, they tell all about the white man, they tell nothing about us except that we are here and no longer slaves. Isnt that nice . So long as our children to learn the truth about themselves in school they might as well be slaves. That is what the book did, changed what students learned in school about their own history. [applause] my book is hazel brendan smith, female crusading scalawag, she was a mississippi journalist in durand and lexington up the road a ways from the 30s until she succumbed to dementia in the 1980s, she came into mississippi like a hurricane straight out of the university of alabama during the depression and charmed the banker, during the depression, to loan her 300,000 and she thought of a broken down newspaper and quickly built it up and by the end the forum or 2 rome actually owned the durand news and lexington advertiser. She made a National Reputation for herself in the late 1940s fighting bootlegging and corrupt officials but she was, even with that campaign she was very popular. Also a diehard segregationist. She wrote editorials in the early 40s where she said clearly the self is the white mans country and everyone knows that and she made comments where she said our black friends are elevating themselves as well as they could using white paternalistic language. When the brown decision came down in may 1954, she was not happy about it but didnt think it would be implemented for years. That same summer the White Citizens Council began to form in Holmes County. She said several times that White Citizens Council, and scaring black people and intimidate black people and i cant go along with it. For us or against us. And 50s progressed she began to see herself further and further alienated from the white establishment even though she did not believe in integration but by the late 50s the white establishment in lexington and durant helped form the herald to put her out of business. By 1960 across, in the yard by 1961 writing editorials, jim crow got to go, she was a staunch supporter of civil rights activists like medgar evers. She said god might not forgive mississippi and by the 1960s she became not a civil rights activist but ally of the Civil Rights Movement in Holmes County, africanamericans on the front page. Unlike others like carter who died in a 70s she continued through 70s and 80s and could not escape the white paternalism she had grown up with and had a falling out with not all africanamericans but some africanamericans in the 70s and succumbed to dementia in the 80s. The importance in this book, she was the only white female editorial voice in the 1960s that was decrying the violence, if i could say the word, intransigent racism and only one of a handful, in mississippi and called for mississippi to change. [applause] my book sanctuaries of segregation generally is about how white churches and white Church People respond to the Civil Rights Movement. It is a local history but if you are from mississippi, you know about this event and something those who are not do not know much about but one of the things i discovered in my research is this really is an important story, churches were contested spaces in the early 60s like lunch counters and libraries. Segregation 5 very hard to keep segregation so this book tells the story as best i can and i benefited from a lot of great folks willing to tell their stories. I may embarrass him, i want to point out reverend ed king, one of the leaders of this campaign, here with us. He and his students and other ministers throughout the country felt this was wrong on many levels but what better way to point out the immorality of segregation than to show up at churches and force white Church People to make it difficult what they were doing. This tells the complete story of it, unique to the ministers, local ministers in jackson, they took strong courageous stand that cost them their jobs, we learned about ministers from outside mississippi and local folks who took part in this campaign and you learn about the degree to which the government structure of the city and state fought to keep these churches segregated. Ant lion very, very honored i have been on a lot of book panels but it has just come now in paperback i am very honored the of festival has chosen to put me in this book on a panel of mississippi history because, in my view it always has been but there have been others to disagree. This is a part of mississippi history. When i decided i would accept this invitation and cut to mississippi to be on the book festival i decided also that i would cause a few days early which i did, and spend some time in the surrounding counties and i would give away because now it is cheap. [laughter] to librarians in the Public Schools and high schools and middle schools, copies of the book. Rather do something called without a personal hand to hand by sending them a copy in the of mail or email i was sure that would not be effective. So todays this week with me and my intern who is from barcelona and has been working with me over the last 10 weeks, of the went to read meridian and met with librarians and school children. And the things that will always impressed me most about this back book festival i was very, very pleased but the thing that will stick in my mind is that i asked the students the students is the ap history class, which did you think the civil war was about states rights . Not a single kid raised their hand thats right it is about slavery and they all nodded. With the attempt to keep slavery in the United States and it is an evil and of bible starts with the exodus story and stories all over the civilization of how to break out of slavery and how evil slavery is that the children of mississippi i can report to released some of the children on this trip noticeable war was not about something abstract called states rights. Thank you. [applause] it is truly an honor for me to be part of this event today and with my book is about me. The youngest of 12 children born as sharecroppers in mississippi in addition to being about me and what i had to go through gives you an idea of what many of the young men started to go through who never made it. They were killed because all of the pitfalls and traps set for them and then i was blessed to find and jump over to not be caught in the of a trap. Especially for the young black men especially in my case just to make it through one day. Why is that so difficult . If you were a black young man walking down the street and began to approach a white woman who had to wait until she passed you could be charged with eyeball rape and you could be dead. That is one example how hard it was for young black men but then to talk about the Civilrights Movement of what to lift up the name of so many of those that were a part of the Civilrights Movement to go through hell to make it. And spending time it maximumsecurity trying to get black people registered to go. How was i looked at . Animals out there on the farm when we begin to try to take those hogs to be slaughtered they put that on the small pittance they would not walk off i dont know what the idea was but they put 14 of us in a place they call bill whole. Del whole was day six by six concrete cell. Fourteen young men make it is so hot this what was running down the four quarters of the of all some of the biggest water there were a lot of mississippian is involved in the Civil Rights Movement in leadership positions i am a Firm Believer mississippi made as much progress is because of the Civil Rights Movement was dominated by mississippi. So as i look back and want to bring those same with a better understanding of what we went through of the things we had to do to sit here today and talk about it. [applause] thanks to the mississippi book festival for inviting me to be a part of this panel. I am speechless. Thank you for everything you have done. I was drawn to this story because of my background every day i was a pass the location were his body was found murdered, shot in the back the assailant was never identified in trying to install a Memorial Bench in his memory and consequently it is those 300 recorders that came from around the country to cover the story of James Meredith is. To be a speaker at the dedication ceremony on his own dime because it was the first major broadcast to this is the First National story. And working for a Radio Station so he has been my passion for a longtime when working on the academic article this wonderful treasure trove of archival material including Western Union telegrams through the weekend of september 30th. It does get old school but at that time you even had a pay phone or called upon the distance and i was sitting there talking with my dean about what i had found it he said we ought to write a book so is the the next five years researching my book. So how do i parse that down to the 12 . Ideally they were live so i could still interview them but i also endeavored to tell the whole story toward the end with Dorothy Gilliam the first hired by the Washington Post who was not allowed to cover this story because of her race. I also focused on the student editor of the mississippian who ends up being censored by the Student Government association and was bid on by her Sorority Sister for an editorial calling for palm and she was nominated for a pulitzer in she said they could she did not win that because what would she do with that at age 20 . That is on the of front of the book so i saw both diversity and experience it as they descended to oxford but none of those were quite prepared thats my story. [applause] so now we start asking the questions to get to the author psyche. Sochis in the history curriculum. 90 under water . It was crucial for the progress is in mississippi so in essence it was an impediment to progress. All students in the ninth grade not just black students but have a clearer picture and to include conflict so the title conveys that this was gradual the improvement but there was conflict in mississippi and covered up and headed by earlier textbooks. End in that way perhaps to engage in more conflict and also whites with that prevailing orthodoxy in the states. Perhaps they did not change that directly for that larger context. So how did hazel go from as an ally for social justice . Take is through the journey. Did she sees something . What happened . She was radicalized by what happened july 1954 the sheriff of Holmes County was attacking him for over one ear because she said the editorial you are incompetent that your job or you have bootleggers so also he appears African American will put him in jail. Day shot a young man in the back of the late summer 1954 and to her that was the straw that broke the camels back the she was not fit to hold the bad tissue was saying the same thing about malfeasance officials for over a decade. But now you have the threat of overturning jimcrow hierarchy. And said you need to be quiet and she said i am not. They sued her for libel and found guilty the Supreme Court overturned a issue wrote in an editorial that i am also our southern traditions but not at the cost of truth. From that point john when there was violence or bombings of jewish synagogues she wrote editorials in the will and later sells said she is losing money and takes and was publishing secretly publications for others in by 1961 ready editorials that says jim crow has to go because she saw her struggle for her Civil Liberties freedom of speech evolving over time as part of the greater struggle because if you cannot speak about it and what i should write in my editorial this is the not United States so does it just kept going off the cliff with ridiculous extremes and they said this has got to stop it cannot do this anymore so found herself by the 60s out of the mainstream and did not think it would be that big bet the White Council citizens paper said it was the apocalypse. She was radicalized to see friends and neighbors going to ridiculous extremes with the understanding of jimcrow. My next question what was the strategy on the of vision of how you would work the strategy . What was the strategy for blacks to integrate . One ping right when they were funded day listed their tactic as opposed to others that would touch the heart of weight to christians a single error a mock white moderates are questions on board for go you can see it this a m humid utilized but it did not come to woo jackson end of 1963. That comes in the context of the Jackson Movement at the time the sitin and other nonviolent actions were responded by this city with an injunction prohibiting anything they were doing so as they tell the story it is go for broke we may get arrested regardless so just show up but church so they showed up one of the last things he did was to drive to the First Baptist and other churches and he was murdered that tuesday surprisingly they did not get arrested and they realized this is where dialogue could happen to engage with the ushers and not a confrontational type of maneuver than the International Dialogue and that is when they began arresting so looking locally of change will come then a good place to start is the churches and a river bagasse this question that has a freedom rider . Growing up in a jewish household in worst year massachusetts we were not a religious family with a certain jewish views i know youve heard of the Ten Commandments but jews have 613. [laughter] most of those are archaic nobody pays a lot of attention but there are a couple that are very, very president did not use one was justice shall be person you so i began to think about becoming a lawyer to pursue that commandment and the other is repair the world and fix it that i tell students so it means you as an individual as most of us now recognize by any of their name is still the same person or entity or thing christ gore whenever god says to you fix it. And make it right it is your responsibility to do something toward making a right and that does not mean you have the obligation to entirely spend your life on making things right the you cannot desist from the effort you have an obligation to do it i was a typist at the United Nations and was happy in my job i love to be york one day in 1961 and was riding home on this city bus arabia was played by somebody and a voice came over the radio to say we want you to be a freedom rider and come from the north to read krutch you this is very important and do that now. It was in just the voice voice but gm the former who was trained as a baptist minister who had that deep imperious voice and when he said you have to do this, people thought about it and i thought about it. A look to the right and to though left unsaid who is he talking to . [laughter] then i had that epiphany he is talking to me. So i got home that evening i started to do think about this the decision was already made there were a lot of steps including calling my mother in los angeles but that is how it happened. [applause] i saw the quotation is stanfords is always right how do you seize to keep you friday and moving . The word said he gave to me you stand with what is right even if your the only one left standing. And those are bigger than just the mere words. It wasnt instant but to be perpetual to provide the opportunity for me and then to move gone in another direction. Also came to me that if i were to stand up for what was right i would have to stand up against which was wrong. For what they thought was right and wrong lysol whole lot more for what i thought was wrong in the few things that thought was right so i said i have a lot of work to do. So after dealing with that in my mind i got the word Martin Luther king was near me and i went looking for him and it is all in my mind and i ask the little man are you dr. King . End that is about explains what he is doing in terms to get people to vote and shirley after that. The ic was put on the cake so the chair person as neck is talking about direct action and then looking for young people to do some of data and to organize the group to do that with which i can stand up and fight against that which is wrong and i was well on my way it led me to be in jail especially with the black men in mississippi. Very few made it out alive we did not know why we were told to escape breaking out of jail i had the opportunity to be killed how was that . Can i said where were going she said you have caused us no trouble and you are a good nigger. My set i have not served my time going back into the jail. Dont take another step for a low blow your brains you better be glad you did not go down the steps because if you did i would call the dogs. To black men came with the dogs. How was that about killing . But theres so happy to get out of jail they would start walking and shot in the back with attempting to break out of jail. If you want to show get into a fight then challenge him it to stand up for that. Integrating the university of mississippi so talk to the audience that was a time they try to cover the story . They were reporting on the actions of government to inform the citizens what is going on and monitor the actions of government and they were beaten their e equipment was destroyed been pulled from the car the wife is from jackson but the language that was used was not appropriate so that passion is much for the story you go where the action is to how the government is handling public affairs. That was a shock to the First Amendment and then you are threatening our very democracy. My students say you make it sound like a calling perhaps it is. So to have to be spit on by her Sorority Sisters and then writing what she thought was important even Michael Berman who came early of those reporters who came down to oxford to learn African Americans would not be allowed on campus but the mayor had issued the edict so those were covering the most significant stories happening in mississippi at that time. We do have time for questions so we do have a the microphone. Are there any questions . I guess we did a job. So as to ask a question in that i think is very important can you share in particular how your music was an important part of your development and action . I would have him take us out that way. So give us a question we will get there. And then to see that about heritage and the debate about civil war monuments so my question is we do need to open a dialogue to explain to those supporters of those monuments that pain and hurt that goes with using those monuments or a heritage . Twenty ben day dialogue to explain . One of the things thats i would do gore had attempted to do was reach across the line and talk with others about it to let them know exactly how i feel about it. Or how they feel about it and try to come to some kind of conclusion. That too many of us is not willing to give up our past regardless how terrible the past has been on others. As i see it that got in a dialogue midday a library, museum and they dont have to and if we go back dont have to look at them. So what were looking at is racism at its best but that is exactly what it is and not be enough of us to see it that way is not willing to say with that fear that goes way back kumble sides that is what we will have to do so whoever is in power they do it that way. So when it is the same side those things change but it is our responsibility. So we have to begin to let people know that. So that is like the white men in particular widely me for what they did . Is that i dont the you know, what they did and you know what they did help to put me and my people in the position that we are in. If you have that knowledge and understanding by youre not willing to help me to complete this are rectified this situation and you are condoning what they did. [applause] i hate to stop you but it has to be very correct. But just as somebody who is passionate about civil rights and considering myself an activist one of the things i struggle with is on a personal level i find it very discouraging. And working to where awareness if youre curious to have any words of advice or wisdom on a personal level outside of an activist . Is so frustrating and has been combined from being a human being soil look at that perspective as a human being to go back to my father who has instilled in me then to fight against those things that our wrong. So i teach all of us to overcome the fear do not allow the feeder what you know needs to be done and to whom an hour with him . And trying to get to that point or just passing you a book it will come with some difficulty part of your training tells you that you do it the way that we used to do it ended is hard but if you are serious you will sing the song we used to seeing that we shall overcome. [applause] i am day groupies and now he will take us out so to give a shameless plug the two museums of history and civilrights will be opening december 9. [applause] so of the civilrights museum is there a cause you would die for . So than 30 years those activist tore freedom writers is there a cause you would die for . So now take us out because cspan says we have to finish up. How many are willing to help me sing . [applause] [inaudible conversations] booktv will be back with more live coverage from jackson said in a senior director of publicity what you have coming out in the fall 2017 . 800 pages big by a british historian to look at the city as a hub of commerce and culture in the mini incarnation is the city has had and the research she asked billy went to his temple and we think it will tell people about the country we have another book coming out that will lead peter the great decided to send two ships to what would be known as alaska but did that as a trip to study the Natural World but chaos in sudan they shipwrecked on a Deserted Island that had ferule foxs and they all had scurvy. It is a great way to see booksellers and to lay to meet with the media with the npr marketplace so it is a good kids to show how to highlight in persons. One more title . This book is about to ship harbored in brooklyn during the revolution with terrible conditions but was researching ships to like those maritime stories were roll history. Thinks were time. I. M. Reading james cliburns booked of his experiences about the life of koresh does scott king. What inspired these choices. Let me say that when she was really in the movement those women never got the credit for what they did women were you hear about martin. You hear about malcolm. You hear about marilyn. You hear about coretta. Do you hear about people like Dorothy Hayek . Im intrigued about the women behind these great men and the women who made the movement move so thats