Born along the Color Line: The 1933 Amenia Conference and the Rise of a National Civil Rights Movement

368 Pages·2012·1.53 MB·English

by  Eben Miller

Born along the Color Line
Born along the Color Line
The 1933 Amenia Conference and the Rise
of a National Civil Rights Movement
EBEN MILLER
Oxford University Press, Inc., publishes works that further
Oxford University’s objective of excellence
in research, scholarship, and education.
Oxford New York
Auckland Cape Town Dar es Salaam Hong Kong Karachi
Kuala Lumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Nairobi
New Delhi Shanghai Taipei Toronto
With offices in
Argentina Austria Brazil Chile Czech Republic France Greece
Guatemala Hungary Italy Japan Poland Portugal Singapore
South Korea Switzerland Thailand Turkey Ukraine Vietnam
Copyright © 2012 by Oxford University Press, Inc.
Published by Oxford University Press, Inc.
198 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016
www.oup.com
Oxford is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise,
without the prior permission of Oxford University Press.
Eben Miller wishes to thank the Crisis Publishing Co., Inc., the publisher of The Crisis,
the magazine of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People,
for the use of the images first published in the December 1930,
September 1935, March 1936, and April 1937 issues.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Miller, Eben.
Born along the color line : the 1933 Amenia Conference and the rise
of a national civil rights movement / Eben Miller.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-19-517455-7
1. Amenia Conference (1933) 2. National Association for the Advancement of
Colored People—History—20th century. 3. Civil rights movements—United States—
History—20th century. 4. African Americans—Civil rights—History—20th century.
5. African Americans—Economic conditions—20th century. 6. Redding, Louis L.
7. Harris, Abram Lincoln, 1899–1963. 8. Jackson, Juanita C. 9. Weston, M. Moran,
1910–2002.
10. Bunche, Ralph J. (Ralph Johnson), 1904–1971. I. Title.
E185.61.M626 2011
323.1196’073—c22 2011010832
1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2
Printed in the United States of America
on acid-free paper
For Tracey
CONTENTS
Acknowledgments
Introduction
PART ONE
1. Louis Redding’s Invitation
2. Abram Harris and the “Economics of the Race Problem”
PART TWO
3. At Troutbeck
4. 69 Fifth Avenue
PART THREE
5. Juanita Jackson, Leading Negro Youth
6. In Moran Weston’s Harlem
7. The Question of Ralph Bunche’s Loyalty
Epilogue
Notes
Index
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
It is humbling to contemplate the sources of inspiration, encouragement, and support
that have sustained this project. Born along the Color Line began as a dissertation at
Brandeis University, where I had the great fortune of holding a Rose and Irving Crown
Fellowship in American History among a talented and generous cohort. A writing group
including Benjamin Irvin, Molly McCarthy, Hilary Moss, Paul Ringel, Greg Renoff,
and Jeff Wiltse commented thoughtfully on the earliest versions of this work. Ben read
multiple chapters, and Molly was kind enough to open her home to me during several
research trips to New York. I relied, too, on the perspectives and camaraderie of Jason
Opal, Anthony Smith, and Jacob Weir-Gertzog. I am especially beholden to Anthony
for the many lunches and coffees along the Red Line, for putting me up in Cambridge
when I needed to complete just one more day of research, and for his assistance years
later when I could no longer easily access the troves of documents housed at Harvard
University. I began this project in early 2000 while taking Jane Kamensky’s course on
narrative strategies. It was a privilege to learn from Jane, who embraces the challenge
of writing about the past with unparalleled care and grace. My dissertation committee
included James Campbell, who offered concrete advice for revising the dissertation for
publication. I still have the notes David Engerman kept during my dissertation defense,
as well his many insightful prescriptions for improvement. I returned to these
repeatedly for guidance during the revision process and I remain appreciative of his
steadfast support of my research and for his eagerness to introduce me into the
academic profession.
The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, the Rockefeller Archives Center,
the Sophia Smith Collection at Smith College, and the Louis, Frances, and Jeffrey
Sachar research fund at Brandeis University helped underwrite early research. A
Dissertation Year Fellowship from the Brandeis University Graduate School of Arts and
Sciences allowed me to complete the dissertation. The professionals staffing the
archives and special collections I depended upon provided expertise and assistance,
including at Atlanta University; the Beinecke Rare Books and Manuscripts Library at
Yale University; Brown University; Columbia University; the Delaware Historical
Society; the Library of Congress; the Moorland-Spingarn Research Center at Howard
University; the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture; Smith College; the
Rockefeller Archives Center; the University of California, Los Angeles; the University
of Delaware; the University of Massachusetts Amherst; and the University of
Pennsylvania. Undertaking this project would have been far less feasible had I not
enjoyed access to the miles of microfilm held in the libraries of Harvard University.
Hopefully the reading room at the W. E. B. Du Bois Institute will continue to be open
for browsing. The proprietors of the Troutbeck Inn and Conference Center allowed me
to tour Joel and Amy Spingarn’s former estate and shared a few fascinating examples of
ephemera that remain there. Teaching courses on the African American freedom
struggle at Brandeis University and Southern Maine Community College (SMCC)
forced me to clarify my understanding of the long civil rights movement. At SMCC, my
academic dean, Janet Sortor, and my department chair, Bill Sutton, supported my course
development, for which I remain thankful. I wish to express my appreciation, too, to the
students who made the experience of teaching some of the contents of this book so
rewarding.
Jason Opal invited me to participate in the Southern Maine American Historians
Research Group at the perfect moment during late rounds of revision. The feedback
offered by him and by Chuck Dorn, Joe Hall, David Hecht, Matt Klingle, Jennifer
Scanlon, David Scobey, and Jeff Selinger was especially useful during the last stages of
revising. Beneficial responses to my work also came from fellow conference
participants, including Beth Tompkins Bates, Martha Biondi, Prudence Cumberbatch,
Crystal Feimster, Rea Ferguson, Erik Gellman, and Patricia Sullivan. Jonathan
Holloway and Kenneth Janken read the original manuscript for Oxford University
Press, each offering helpful commentary. I thank Jonathan especially for the kind
encouragements. Colleagues at George Mason University, including Joan Bristol, the
late Roy Rosenzweig, Randolph Scully, and Lauren Sklaroff offered warm and
welcome support. Leslie Schwalm expressed an enthusiasm about an earlier chapter on
Juanita Jackson that I thought of often while revising the manuscript. Rick and Sherri
Salvatore provided hospitality during a trip to Philadelphia. Joe Hummer generously
helped make my research in Los Angeles so enjoyable. Molly McCarthy and Melissa
Sundell devoted time and attention to improving the penultimate version of the
manuscript. I remain appreciative of the opportunity to have met the late Moran Weston
during the earliest stages of my research. He and his wife, Mrs. Miriam Weston,
graciously invited me to Florida, where I spent portions of two days asking about,
among other things, his youth in North Carolina, what he recalled of the 1933 Amenia
Conference, and his life in New York City.
This book simply would not exist without the patience and perceptive suggestions of
my editor, Susan Ferber, who guided the project through publication. I cannot thank
Jacqueline Jones, my mentor at Brandeis, enough for connecting me with such an
effective champion. Jackie encouraged my work from inchoate idea to completed
dissertation, coaxing me always to consider the big picture, and modeled how to write
with both empathy and objectivity about the social and economic conditions people
endured in the past. I am grateful to have been her student. I am likewise thankful to
have been a student and, for a number of years now, a friend and neighbor of Hilmar
Jensen. His Bates College seminar “Prelude to the Civil Rights Movement” first
inspired me to explore the civil rights struggles of the early twentieth century. Since
then, I have come to rely on his perspective and willingness to share his near
photographic recollection of original sources. It is hard to imagine writing this book
without his influence.
It is impossible to contemplate ever completing this work without the sustenance of
my family in Maine. The Guilleraults—Roger, Robbi, Tim, and Andy—have been in
my corner since the beginning, as have my four siblings and their families—Andy,
Ocea, Brey, and Wyeth; Kaitlyn and Cory; Lisbeth; and Alec. I will always be
appreciative of the place Andy made for me at Copper Tops. My parents, Garry and