Redefining Activism: Judge Elreta Alexander Ralston and Civil Rights Advocacy in the New South
- UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
- Virginia Summey, Doctoral Student (Creator)
- Institution
- The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
- Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/
Abstract: For Greensboro, North Carolina, the 1960s was a turbulent decade. Greenshoro
became a critical location in the civil rights movement, starting with the
1960 sit-in hy four North Carolina A&T students that sparked demonstrations
nationwide. African Americans reacted differently to the protests. Some, afraid of
change, defended the status quo. Others watched from the sidelines, nervous but
excited about possible change. Many, putting their personal safety at risk, took
part in boycotts and protests. Other African Americans who wanted to advocate
for their race took a different approach, working within the judicial system from
the inside, instead of against it. Elreta Alexander, a prominent black attorney
from Greensboro, said in a 1977 interview, "I like to he a part of the change.
Sometimes I feel like I've accomplished very little, but I realize that even without
the NAACP we were able to get a lot changed just because I was dared to buck it
[the system]."^ Alexander bucked the system by breaking into a white male power
structure and making her presence known.
Redefining Activism: Judge Elreta Alexander Ralston and Civil Rights Advocacy in the New South
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Created on 9/20/2013
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Additional Information
- Publication
- Language: English
- Date: 2013
- Keywords
- north carolina, greensboro, 1960s, civil rights movement, history, North Carolina A&T University, african americans