Cheap Pictures Tell the Story : Ernest C. Withers Reflections in History (Book) (Ernest C Withers, Jack F. Hurley, Brooks Johnson, Daniel J. Wolff) Price

Related Products

Customer Reviews of Pictures Tell the Story : Ernest C. Withers Reflections in History

Witness ToThe Struggle: Eye For The Prize!
Ever since the assasination of Martin Luther King, Jr. in Memphis, Tennessee in 1968, the rich legacy of the city and its key role as a bridge and innovator in the Civil Rights struggle has been obscured at best and ignored at worst. From its heroic role in the yellow fever epidemic, its pioneering contributions to the anti-lynching campaign, its legacy in health care and educational leadership, its singular place in the birth of rhythm and blues to its leadership in the evolution of Gospel Music and Black Christian Theology, Memphis has been largely ignored and unappreciated. Although its history as the King of Cotton rivals the sugar kingdom of New Orleans and its place as the transportation corridor on the Mississippi Bluff excels Atlanta and its presence as the center of hope and culture for Arkansas and Mississippi gave life to St Louis, Kansas City and Chicago and refuge to persecuted refugees from Mississippi and Arkansas. The diversity of its Artistry gave life to every range of Artist from blues to country, classical, opera, pop, jazz, be bop, spirituals and swing. Thanks to the pictures of Earnest Withers and the richness of his living, the truth of Memphis and its heroic contributions can never be loss. He has recorded its cross fertilization as a center of rebirth and growth. Because of his eye for the prize the Confederate city with an Egyptian name has embraced the possibilities of its African roots and made the assassins place of Martin Luther King Jr. a place where the immortality of Elvis grew out of the sounds of WC Handy and the richness of Beale Street. His own contribution as a soldier policeman and father, both in tragedy and triumph, give credibilty and honesty to his insights and his vision. As a member of my wife's maternal family and the actor James Earl Jones, and as a photographic ally of my brother, Benjamin Sims, I can testify to the validity of his experience. Like Parks, his pictures belong among the great treasures in the annals of our time. Anyone sincere about the history of Human rights should include his book as a permanent part of their library.