Morningside: The 1979 Greensboro Massacre and the Struggle for an American City's Soul [9780062858214]

Overview

An unflinching work of narrative nonfiction, this is a look at the all but forgotten though no less shocking 1979 racial tragedy that divided Greensboro, N.C., and the nation, and the grassroots activists who, in their tireless fight for justice, refused to give up on America’s promised ideals.

On November 3, 1979, as activist Nelson Johnson assembled people for a march adjacent to Morningside Homes in Greensboro, North Carolina, gunshots rang out. A caravan of Klansmen and Neo-Nazis sped from the scene, leaving behind five dead. This gripping true crime story, known as the “Greensboro Massacre,” the event and its aftermath encapsulate the racial conflict, economic anxiety, clash of ideologies, and toxic mix of corruption and conspiracy that roiled American democracy then—and threaten it today.

In 88 seconds, one Southern city shattered over irreconcilable visions of America’s past and future. When the shooters are acquitted in the courts, Reverend Johnson, his wife Joyce, and their allies, at odds with the police and the Greensboro establishment, sought alternative forms of justice in a powerful story of the ongoing fight for Civil Rights. As the Johnsons rebuilt their lives after 1979, they found inspiration in Nelson Mandela’s post-apartheid Truth and Reconciliation Commission and Martin Luther King Jr’s concept of Beloved Community and insist that only by facing history’s hardest truths can healing come to the city they refuse to give up on.

This intimate, deeply researched, and heart-stopping account draws upon survivor interviews, court documents, and the files from one of the largest investigations in FBI history. The persistent mysteries of the case touch deep cultural insecurities and contradictions about race and class in Southern history. A quintessentially American story, Morningside explores the courage required to make change and the evolving pursuit of a more inclusive and equal future.

This definitive account of the Greensboro Massacre explores the courage required to make change:

• American History: An unflinching look at the 88 seconds that divided a nation and the clash of ideologies that threatens America to this day.
• Social Justice: The story of grassroots activists like Nelson Johnson who, after the courts failed them, refused to give up on America’s promised ideals.
• Deeply Researched: Drawn from exhaustive survivor interviews, court documents, and once-secret files from one of the largest investigations in FBI history.
• Truth and Reconciliation: How Nelson Mandela’s post-apartheid commission inspired a new path toward healing the hardest truths of a quintessentially American tragedy.