About this item
Freedom Libraries: The Untold Story of Libraries for African-Americans in the South.As the Civil Rights Movement exploded across the United States, the media of the time was able to show the rest of the world images of horrific racial violence. And while some of the bravest people of the 20th century risked their lives for the right to simply order a cheeseburger, ride a bus, or use a clean water fountain, there was another virtually unheard of struggle - this one for the right to read. Although illegal, racial segregation was strictly enforced in a number of American states, and public libraries were not immune. Numerous libraries were desegregated on paper only: there would be no cards given to African-Americans, no books for them read, and no furniture for them to use.
About the Author
Born and raised in the shadow of the British Columbia Rocky Mountains, Mike Selby is a professional librarian. He received his MLIS from the University of Alabama, which is where he first unearthed the story of the Freedom Libraries. He is also a newspaper columnist, having published over 900 articles about libraries, reading, and print culture--much of it covering libraries during the Civil Rights Movement
