Let the People Decide facts for kids
Let the People Decide: Black Freedom and White Resistance Movements in Sunflower County, Mississippi, 1945–1986 is a book written by J. Todd Moye in 2004. It was published by the University of North Carolina Press. The book tells the story of the fight for equal rights for Black people in Sunflower County, Mississippi. This important period is known as the Civil Rights Movement.
The book covers events from 1945 to 1986. It talks about the time after the famous Brown v. Board of Education court case, which helped end segregation in schools. It also highlights the work of brave leaders like Fannie Lou Hamer in the 1960s. The book continues to discuss what happened after the main Civil Rights Movement, including efforts to improve education in the 1980s and a workers' strike at Delta Pride. Let the People Decide was the first book to give a full overview of the civil rights efforts in Sunflower County. It shows how Black people's views on equality changed and how some white people resisted these changes.
About the Author and Research
J. Todd Moye, the book's author, used to be the director of the Tuskegee Airmen Oral History Project. This project collected stories from the famous Tuskegee Airmen.
The book's title, "Let the People Decide," was a popular saying. It was used by a group called the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). They used this slogan to encourage people to get involved and make their own choices.
How the Book Was Researched
To write Let the People Decide, Moye looked at many different sources. He read hundreds of articles and books written by other experts. He also used many original documents, like government papers.
A very important part of his research was talking to people. Moye interviewed 25 people, both Black and White, who lived through these events. He believed that these interviews were key. They helped him tell stories that might otherwise be forgotten. They also helped him add details to the facts found in written records. However, Moye also made sure to use many written documents. He felt that talking to people should add to, not replace, research from old papers and records.
