★★★★★ 4
An Obscure Facet of the Civil Rights Movement
Format: Paperback
The Deacons for Defense story has been buried since the mid sixties. The reasons for this loss are many. The Deacons don't fit the stereotype promulgated by the orthodox civil rights leaders and historians, nor does it particularly fit with the "conservative" historian view that anti-black violence largely was confined to a few terrible but soon overcome incidents [overcome with support of the Feds and the Press]. This book shows how pervasive the violence was and how the African-American Community especially the men, were scarred by the violence, and reluctant to join with the non-violent philosophy of the orthodox movement , as it destroyed their sense of manhood. The author does stretch at times to support his themes, especially the class differences between the Deacons and the mainstreamers, but this story is strong and should be better known. One amazing thing, with all of the hoopla about gun control, I'm surprised the NRA doesn't push the Deacon's story, as it does support the notion of an armed citizen being effective in countering an oppressive government. One can only surmise that the NRA supporters are also supporters of the repression in these instances. Ironic [but I digress].
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Reviewed in the United States on February 10, 2013
