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Author: Preston Lauterbach
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 0393247937
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 288
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Book Description
The little-known story of an iconic photographer, whose work captured—and influenced—a critical moment in American history. Who was Ernest Withers? Most Americans may not know the name, but they do know his photographs. Withers took some of the most legendary images of the 1950s and ’60s: Martin Luther King, Jr., riding a newly integrated bus in Montgomery, Alabama; Emmett Till’s uncle pointing an accusatory finger across the courtroom at one of his nephew’s killers; scores of African-American protestors, carrying a forest of signs reading "I am a man." But while he enjoyed unparalleled access to the inner workings of the civil rights movement, Withers was working as an informant for the FBI. In this gripping narrative history, Preston Lauterbach examines the complicated political and economic forces that informed Withers’s seeming betrayal of the people he photographed. Withers traversed disparate worlds, from Black Power meetings to raucous Memphis nightclubs where Elvis brushed shoulders with B.B. King. He had a gift for capturing both dramatic historic moments and intimate emotional ones, and it may have been this attention to nuance that made Withers both a brilliant photographer and an essential asset to the FBI. Written with similar nuance, Bluff City culminates with a riveting account of the 1968 riot that ended in violence just a few days before Dr. King’s death. Brimming with new information and featuring previously unpublished and rare photographs from the Withers archive not seen in over fifty years, Bluff City grapples with the legacy of a man whose actions—and artistry—make him an enigmatic and fascinating American figure.
Author: Preston Lauterbach
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 0393247937
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 288
Get Book
Book Description
The little-known story of an iconic photographer, whose work captured—and influenced—a critical moment in American history. Who was Ernest Withers? Most Americans may not know the name, but they do know his photographs. Withers took some of the most legendary images of the 1950s and ’60s: Martin Luther King, Jr., riding a newly integrated bus in Montgomery, Alabama; Emmett Till’s uncle pointing an accusatory finger across the courtroom at one of his nephew’s killers; scores of African-American protestors, carrying a forest of signs reading "I am a man." But while he enjoyed unparalleled access to the inner workings of the civil rights movement, Withers was working as an informant for the FBI. In this gripping narrative history, Preston Lauterbach examines the complicated political and economic forces that informed Withers’s seeming betrayal of the people he photographed. Withers traversed disparate worlds, from Black Power meetings to raucous Memphis nightclubs where Elvis brushed shoulders with B.B. King. He had a gift for capturing both dramatic historic moments and intimate emotional ones, and it may have been this attention to nuance that made Withers both a brilliant photographer and an essential asset to the FBI. Written with similar nuance, Bluff City culminates with a riveting account of the 1968 riot that ended in violence just a few days before Dr. King’s death. Brimming with new information and featuring previously unpublished and rare photographs from the Withers archive not seen in over fifty years, Bluff City grapples with the legacy of a man whose actions—and artistry—make him an enigmatic and fascinating American figure.
Author: Charles Trudeau
Publisher: Independently Published
ISBN: 9781794267657
Category : Photography
Languages : en
Pages : 328
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Book Description
In September of 2010, the Memphis Commercial Appeal published an article written by journalist Marc Perrusquia, breaking open a dam of long held government secrets. Hidden in a seemingly insignificant declassified report that had been insufficiently redacted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Perrusquia discovered that Ernest Withers had been a confidential informant for the FBI. But what made the revelation extraordinary within the humid enclaves of Memphis and the Deep South was that Withers was also a nationally-renowned civil rights photographer. As a friend to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and other prominent civil rights leaders, Withers had intimate access to the kind of highly sensitive information the FBI coveted. Believing that the black civil rights movement took its cues from communist influences, FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover sanctioned regular cash payments to be distributed amongst a select group of black informants who were willing to spy on fellow demonstrators. Withers was one of them. Using his position as an African American insider and professional cameraman, the typically affable Withers covertly provided the FBI with countless photos of civil rights activists along with intelligence outlining their associations, movements, and future strategies. Conferring often with his FBI handler in Memphis, TN, Special Agent William H. Lawrence, Withers was regularly paid to infiltrate the meetings and organizations led by his closest allies. The following pages contain exact copies of the declassified documents that Marc Perrusquia, the Memphis Commercial Appeal, and their team of attorneys obtained in 2012 through the Federal Court system. These documents have been organized based on the FBI's own notated filing dates. Undeniably, there are additional documents that did not make it into this book, either because the FBI failed to declassify them or because they have not yet been obtained from the National Archives in Washington D.C. However, every effort was made as of this book's publication date to include all currently available FBI records related to Withers. Furthermore, the editors worked tirelessly to include the least redacted versions of several duplicate documents. It is the editors' hope that the following pages inform, inspire, and empower the citizenry to form their own opinions regarding this historically significant collaboration between Ernest Columbus Withers and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Author: Marc Perrusquia
Publisher: Melville House
ISBN: 1612194400
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 368
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Book Description
Only Ernest Withers, a key figure in the civil rights movement, could have delivered such iconic photographs—and the kind of information the FBI wanted . . . Renowned photographer Ernest Withers captured some of the most stunning moments of the civil rights era—from the age-defining snapshot of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., riding one of the first integrated buses in Montegomery, to the haunting photo of Emmett Till’s great-uncle pointing an accusing finger at his nephew’s killers. He was trusted and beloved by King’s inner circle, and had a front row seat to history . . . but few people know that Withers was also an informant for the FBI. Memphis journalist Marc Perrusquia broke the story of Withers’s secret life after a long investigation culminating in a landmark lawsuit against the government to release hundreds of once-classified FBI documents. Those files confirmed that, from 1958 to 1976, Withers helped the Bureau monitor pillars of the movement including Dr. Martin Luther King and others, as well as dozens of civil rights foot soldiers. Now, on the fiftieth anniversary of King’s assasination, A Spy in Canaan explores the life, complex motivations, and legacy of this fascinating figure Ernest Withers, as well as the dark shadow that era’s culture of surveillance has cast on our own time. Includes an 8-page, black-and-white photo insert.
Author: Marc Perrusquia
Publisher: Melville House
ISBN: 1612193412
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 377
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Book Description
Only Ernest Withers, a key figure in the civil rights movement, could have delivered such iconic photographs—and the kind of information the FBI wanted . . . Renowned photographer Ernest Withers captured some of the most stunning moments of the civil rights era—from the age-defining snapshot of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., riding one of the first integrated buses in Montegomery, to the haunting photo of Emmett Till’s great-uncle pointing an accusing finger at his nephew’s killers. He was trusted and beloved by King’s inner circle, and had a front row seat to history . . . but few people know that Withers was also an informant for the FBI. Memphis journalist Marc Perrusquia broke the story of Withers’s secret life after a long investigation culminating in a landmark lawsuit against the government to release hundreds of once-classified FBI documents. Those files confirmed that, from 1958 to 1976, Withers helped the Bureau monitor pillars of the movement including Dr. Martin Luther King and others, as well as dozens of civil rights foot soldiers. Now, on the fiftieth anniversary of King’s assasination, A Spy in Canaan explores the life, complex motivations, and legacy of this fascinating figure Ernest Withers, as well as the dark shadow that era’s culture of surveillance has cast on our own time. Includes an 8-page, black-and-white photo insert.
Author: Ernest C. Withers
Publisher: Chrysler Museum
ISBN:
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 198
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Book Description
Author: Alexandra Natapoff
Publisher: NYU Press
ISBN: 1479807710
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 361
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Book Description
Reveals the secretive, inaccurate, and often violent ways that the American criminal system really works Curtis Flowers spent twenty-three years on death row for a murder he did not commit. Atlanta police killed 92-year-old Kathryn Johnston during a misguided raid on her home. Rachel Hoffman was murdered at age twenty-three while working for Florida police. Such tragedies are consequences of snitching. Although it is nearly invisible to the public, the massive informant market shapes the American legal system in risky and sometimes shocking ways. Police rely on criminal suspects to obtain warrants, to perform surveillance, and to justify arrests. Prosecutors negotiate with defendants for information and cooperation, offering to drop charges or lighten sentences in exchange. In this book, Alexandra Natapoff provides a comprehensive analysis of this powerful and problematic practice. She shows how informant deals generate unreliable evidence, allow serious criminals to escape punishment, endanger the innocent, and exacerbate distrust between police and poor communities of color. First published over ten years ago, Snitching has become known as the “informant bible,” a leading text for advocates, attorneys, journalists, and scholars. This influential book has helped free the innocent, it has fueled reform at the state and federal level, and it is frequently featured in high-profile media coverage of snitching debacles. This updated edition contains a decade worth of new stories, new data, new legislation and legal developments, much of it generated by the book itself and by Natapoff’s own work. In clear, accessible language, the book exposes the social destruction that snitching can cause in heavily-policed Black neighborhoods, and how using criminal informants renders our entire penal process more secretive and less fair. By delving into the secretive world of criminal informants, Snitching reveals deep and often disturbing truths about the way American justice really works.
Author: Maurice Berger
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN: 0300121318
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 224
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Book Description
"In collaboration with: Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture, University of Maryland Baltimore County, National Museum of African American History and Culture, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C."
Author: Richard Cahan
Publisher: Cityfiles Press
ISBN: 9780991541843
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 0
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Book Description
Includes bibliographical references (page 288).
Author: Ernest C. Withers
Publisher: Studio
ISBN:
Category : Blues (Music)
Languages : en
Pages : 184
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Book Description
Text by Daniel Wolff A stunning collection of photographs covering six decades of the music scene in Memphis, the birthplace of the blues and home to some of the greatest American popular music of the 20th century. From ragtime and jazz, through the blues, R & B and rock 'n' roll, to gospel, soul and funk, Ernest Withers has photographed it all - in dancehalls, bars, recording studios and on the streets. Includes: W C Handy, Muddy Waters, Elvis Elvis Presley, Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin, Al Green and many more. 150 duotones.
Author: Ben Kamin
Publisher: MSU Press
ISBN: 1609173430
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 257
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Book Description
A tragic landmark in the civil rights movement, the Lorraine Motel in Memphis is best known for what occurred there on April 4, 1968. As he stood on the balcony of Room 306, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, ending a golden age of nonviolent resistance, and sparking riots in more than one hundred cities. Formerly a seedy, segregated motel, and prior to that a brothel, the motel quickly achieved the status of national shrine. The motel attracts a variety of pilgrims—white politicians seeking photo ops, aging civil rights leaders, New Age musicians, and visitors to its current incarnation, the National Civil Rights Museum. A moving and emotional account that comprises a panorama of voices, Room 306 is an important oral history unlike any other.
