Freedom Song: Young Voices and the Struggle for Civil Rights
Acknowledgments irst Iowe a deep debt of gratitude to Geof Stone chair of the board of the Chicago Children's Choir CCC Without his persistence and his pas sion for the CCC and the civil rights movement this book would never have been written Geof s involve ment from the book proposal through the first edit ing stage helped to shape and improve the book Many thanks also to the CCC singers and staff who welcomed my family and me both in Chicago and on the Freedom Tour Your voices appear throughout the book so I will not try to name individuals here except for Davin Peelle the behind the scenes con tact who has been an invaluable liaison and problem solver Thanks also to the CCC alums who shared their stories Mollie Spector Stone associate conductor of the CCC has a unique role in both the choir and this book She is an alum of the choir who returned as a professional musician whose passion for music is matched by her passion for justice Her professional work in South Africa was inspired by her teenage travel there on a CCC concert tour I am deeply grate ful to her for sharing her knowledge of African and South African music Hollis Watkins and Chuck McDew shared gener ously of their time stories and memories I have
known Chuck for years but met Hollis only because of this book They are both true American heroes I wish that every person who reads this book could have the opportunity to meet them to hear them speak and to thank them for the blood sweat and tears they have given to make a better country and a better world for generations to come Thanks also to Jackie Byrd Martin in McComb to Dr Alferdteen Harrison and Angela Stewart at Jack son State University and to Robert Williams David Baker and Joe West in Birmingham for sharing their stories of the past and present Thanks to my publisher and editor Cynthia Sherry of Chicago Review Press who has worked with me to make this book much better than it would have been without her guidance and care Finally thanks to my family Ron Molly and Macy Salzberger for traveling on the Freedom Tour and for putting up with the demands of the book writing process Thanks also to my parents Howard and Mil lie Turck who long ago instilled in me a passion for justice and for the civil rights movement As every author says and knows the contributions of many people went into making this book but any errors that have crept in are entirely my
Introduction THE MOVEMENT THE MUSIC AND THE CHICAGO CHILDREN S CHOIR magine yourself back in the 1950s A loaf of bread cost 14 cents Color television was new and excit ing Barbie dolls appeared for the first time Popular fads included hula hoops coonskin caps and Silly Putty Elvis Presley recorded hit songs including Heartbreak Hotel and Hound Dog Dwight D Eisenhower was president The United States fought a war in Korea that ended in 1953 Most people in the United States were afraid of Russia and its com munist government In theory the communist sys tem held that the government should directly control all industry and share its economic benefits equally with all people but in practice the Russian govern ment was repressive toward its own citizens and hos tile to the United States Many people feared change of any kind but change of all kinds was happening In the South segregation was the law Segregation laws separated black and white people In 1954 the U S Supreme Court said that school segregation the separation of people because of race or skin color violated the U S Con
stitution A movement for civil rights was growing The civil rights movement found its greatest challenges and opportunities in the segregated southern United States From water fountains to movie theaters laws ordered separation of black people and white people Signs reserved the best places for whites only Many restaurants would not serve black people at all COLORED This drinking fountain shows the separation of black and white people in the South before the civil rights movement Black peo ple and white people were not even allowed to drink from the same fountains John Vachon 1938 courtesy of the Library of Congress On December 1 1955 Rosa Parks was arrested in Montgomery Alabama She was charged with the crime of refusing to give up her seat on a bus to a white man Rosa Parks worked as a seamstress She was also a member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People NAACP a civil rights organization Rosa Parks was ready to fight
