Anne Braden facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Anne McCarty Braden
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| Born |
Anne Gambrell McCarty
July 28, 1924 Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.
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| Died | March 6, 2006 (aged 81) Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.
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| Alma mater | Randolph-Macon Woman's College |
| Occupation | Civil rights activist, journalist, educator |
| Political party | Progressive Party of 1948 |
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| Spouse(s) | Carl Braden |
| Awards | American Civil Liberties Union's Roger Baldwin Medal of Liberty |
Anne McCarty Braden (July 28, 1924 – March 6, 2006) was an American activist, writer, and teacher. She worked hard for racial equality, meaning she believed everyone should be treated fairly, no matter their race. Anne and her husband, Carl, helped an African American family buy a house in a white neighborhood during the time of Jim Crow laws. These laws kept black and white people separate. After the family moved in, white neighbors attacked the house. Anne was later accused of a serious crime called sedition during a time known as McCarthyism. She wrote and organized for the civil rights movement in the South. Anne was one of the most well-known white people who fought against racism. She also worked with people of all races in movements for the environment, women's rights, and against nuclear weapons.
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Anne Braden's Early Life
Anne Braden was born in Louisville, Kentucky, on July 28, 1924. She grew up in Anniston, Alabama, a town where white and black people were kept separate. Her family was white and middle-class. They accepted the way things were in the South, including racial segregation. Anne was a religious person, but she started to question segregation during her college years. This was at Randolph-Macon Woman's College in Lynchburg, Virginia.
She had a powerful experience in 1946 that changed her view on race. She saw black veterans marching to a courthouse in Birmingham. They were demanding the right to vote. Anne was there as a reporter for the Birmingham News. This event made her realize how unfair the system was.
After working for newspapers in Alabama, Anne came back to Kentucky. She wrote for The Louisville Times. She became a strong supporter of the Civil Rights Movement. This was at a time when many white people in the South did not support it.
Either you find a way to oppose the evil, or the evil becomes part of you and you are a part of it, and it winds itself around your soul like the arms of an octopus... If I did not oppose it, I was... responsible for its sins.
—Anne Braden
While working at The Louisville Times, Anne met Carl Braden. He was also a newspaper writer and supported workers' rights. They got married in 1948. Both Anne and Carl were deeply involved in the fight for civil rights. They continued to work for social change for many years.
Anne Braden's Work for Change
Starting Her Activism
In 1948, Anne and Carl Braden became very involved in Henry A. Wallace's campaign for president. He ran with the Progressive Party. After he lost, they left regular journalism. They used their writing skills to help workers' rights groups. They worked with the FE (Farm and Equipment Workers) Union in Louisville.
Even as some labor movements became less active, civil rights issues grew stronger. In 1950, Anne Braden led efforts to end segregation in hospitals in Kentucky. She was arrested for the first time in 1951. She led a group of white women to Mississippi. They were protesting the execution of Willie McGee. He was an African American man.
The Wade Family Case
In 1954, a black couple named Andrew and Charlotte Wade asked the Bradens for help. The Wades wanted to buy a house in a white neighborhood. But because of Jim Crow laws, they couldn't buy one themselves. The Bradens, who always supported civil rights, agreed to buy the house for them.
On May 15, 1954, the Wades moved into their new home in Shively, Kentucky. When white neighbors found out, they were very angry. They burned a cross in front of the house and broke windows. They blamed the Bradens for helping the Wades. Just two days later, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against segregation in public schools. This was in the famous Brown v. Board of Education case.
Six weeks later, the Wades' new house was bombed one evening. Luckily, they were not home. Someone else was accused of the bombing, but the real bombers were never found. Instead of focusing on the violence, investigators claimed the Bradens were linked to the Communist Party. This was during a time called McCarthyism, when people were very afraid of communism.
In October 1954, Anne and Carl Braden and five other white people were accused of sedition. This meant they were accused of trying to cause a rebellion. Carl Braden was found guilty and sentenced to 15 years in prison. He served eight months. But then the U.S. Supreme Court said that state sedition laws were not valid. So, all charges against the Bradens were dropped. The Wades then moved to a black neighborhood in Louisville.
Working for Civil Rights
After this, the Bradens found it hard to get jobs locally. They became organizers for the Southern Conference Educational Fund (SCEF). This group worked to get white Southerners to support the civil rights movement. Before civil rights issues became national news, the Bradens used SCEF's newspaper, The Southern Patriot, to share information. They also wrote many pamphlets and press releases. These helped tell people about important civil rights campaigns.
Anne's 1958 book, The Wall Between, showed her and Carl as strong supporters of the civil rights movement.
Anne Braden and her husband Carl were two of the most hated people of the 1950s and 1960s by the powers-that-were in the American south. As whites of impeccable southern credentials, they gave lie to the myth that all southern whites opposed the civil rights movement—and that drove the racists wild.—David Nolan
Carl Braden passed away suddenly in 1975. After his death, Anne Braden continued to be a leading white activist against racism. She helped start a new group called the Southern Organizing Committee for Economic and Social Justice (SOC). This group fought against environmental racism, which is when pollution affects minority communities more. She also played a key role in the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition in the 1980s. She worked on Jesse Jackson's presidential campaigns. Anne also helped organize people of all races in new movements. These included groups for the environment, women's rights, and against nuclear weapons.
In 1977, Braden joined the Women's Institute for Freedom of the Press (WIFP). This group helps women communicate and connect the public with women's media.
In 2005, she joined anti-war protests in Louisville, even using a wheelchair. She helped start the Kentucky Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression. She kept working on local issues like police brutality, environmental racism, and LGBT rights.
Anne Braden's Family and Later Life
Anne married Carl Braden in 1948. They had three children. Their son, James, became a successful lawyer. Their daughter, Anita, passed away at age 11. Their youngest daughter, Elizabeth, became a teacher. She has taught in many countries, including Ethiopia.
Anne Braden passed away on March 6, 2006, in Louisville. Just three days before, she had finished a plan for a summer camp for young activists. Many people in the civil rights movement remembered her contributions.
Awards and Recognition
In 1990, Anne Braden received the first Roger Baldwin Medal of Liberty. This award was from the American Civil Liberties Union. It recognized her important work for civil liberties. As she got older, she focused more on activism in Louisville. She continued to lead anti-racist efforts. She also taught classes on social justice history at the University of Louisville and Northern Kentucky University.
Anne Braden's Legacy
After Anne Braden's death, the Anne Braden Institute for Social Justice Research was created. It opened in 2007 at the University of Louisville. This institute studies social justice around the world. It focuses especially on the southern United States and the Louisville area.
The hip hop group Flobots honored Anne Braden with a song. It is called "Anne Braden" and is on their 2007 album Fight With Tools. The song includes parts of Anne Braden speaking. She describes her life and her thoughts on race in her own words.
Anne Braden's Writings
In 1958, Anne wrote The Wall Between. This book was about her and Carl's sedition case. It was one of the few books at the time to explain the thinking behind white southern racism. Leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. and Eleanor Roosevelt praised it. It was also a runner-up for the National Book Award.
From the 1980s to the 2000s, Braden wrote for several magazines. These included Southern Exposure, Southern Changes, and the National Guardian. She also wrote for Fellowship.
See also
- History of Louisville, Kentucky
- List of people from the Louisville metropolitan area
