Civilities and Civil Rights

Reveals how whites in Greensboro used the traditional Southern concept of civility as a means of keeping Black protest in check and how Black activists continually devised new ways of asserting their quest for freedom.

Thoughtful, well written, and thoroughly researched, it is a work of disciplined, committed scholarship that is likely to inspire imitation....It represents the sort of scholarly advocacy that honors the historian's calling.--The New Republic

A finely wrought narrative, but much more--a troubling commentary on conflict, consensus, paternalism, and gentility, which carries far beyond Greensboro....There is a boldness in this book which is rare in the profession....It makes us think beyond its boundaries.--Howard Zinn, The Yale Review

Social history at its best, portraying the events that led up to the sit-ins and the disappointments that came after, and arguing that these confrontations were vital for any real change.--The New York Times Book Review

Undoubtedly the best case study on the Civil Rights movement.--Mark Kornbluh, Washington University