In loving memory of Matie Armstrong Geter Golden Motley Jamerson and Minnie Harris Jameson AFD Thank you to my wife Dr. Karida Brown for stepping into the role of cheerleader that my mother left vacant in 2009 You are such an amazing person CP
Ernest C. Withers's photograph of a Tent City family in 1960
Acknowledgments In 2006 Ernest Withers gifted me a photography book about the Tent City Movement His images demanded that I write about this history for young people Baba Withers was long gone when I approached the research with serious intention in 2018. I set out on a journey to find farmers and activists who took part in the Tent City Movement of 1959. This book is possible because strangers accepted my phone calls and spoke with me like kinfolk They invited me to their Somerville homes and shared family photo albums to help me capture the souls of the subjects I am eternally grateful to the Towles Family Ms. Erma Ms. Bridget Mr. Levearn and Mr. Freddie painted vivid memories of Shephard Papa Towles And as the first mother to settle in Tent City with her husband and children Mrs. Mary Williams let me record several interviews as she recalled the indignity of sharecropping and the sacrifices her family made to vote Under the direction of Executive Director Daphene R. McFerren daughter of John and Viola McFerren the Benjamin Hooks Institute for Social Change works with the University of Memphis to collect Tent City photographs and artifacts that directed the chronology of my book And with ceaseless expressions of respect I offer my abounding gratitude to Mr. James Jamerson Jr. With his treasure trove of family pictures and a heart dedicated to civil rights his interviews inspired and spirited me from the book's harrowing beginning to its hopeful finish Last I want to pay my respect and gratitude to the founding members and leaders of The Original Fayette County Civic and Welfare League OFCCWL They serve as paragons of vision initiative and persistence In these pages I remember their struggle and celebrate their sacrifice AFD 5
