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COINTELPRO is an acronym for a series of FBI counterintelligence programs designed to neutralize political dissidents from 1956 to 1971 - their work broadly targeted radical political organizations. Since the early 1950s, the Communist Party was illegal in the United States, and the US Senate and House of Representatives each set up investigating committees to prosecute communists and publicly expose them. (The House Committee on Un-American Activities and the Senate Internal Security Subcommittee, led by Senator Joseph McCarthy). However, Supreme Court rulings in 1956 and 1957 questioned the constitutionality of Smith Act prosecutions and Subversive Activities Control Board hearings. This did not stop the local and state govenments from starting up their own vigilance committees. In addition, the FBI created COINTELPRO which was designed to "neutralize" radicals such as civil rights or peace and anti-arms race activists, many of whom were said to be part of "communist front organizations." The FBI led over 2000 COINTELPRO operations until it was officially discontinued in April of 1971.

Sociological study of the history and impact of the ideas of participatory democracy - emphasizing the strategic components of this leadership approach: builds trust among members, leads to better and more innovative decisions, develops leaders among those whose perspectives have been systematically devalued, effects change without reproducing the very socio-political structures that it fights. The strategies for participatory decision-making comes out of the 1930s legacy of the great American educator, John Dewey - both Ella Baker and Miles Horton were trained at Brookwood Labor College in Katonah, New York. Established leaders are often uncomfortable with real, democratic decisionmaking since it fundamentally challenges implicit hierarchies.

Wonderful description of the importance of the Highlander trainings and Septima Clark's emphasis on involving the people for whom the fight for social justice most affected (not just influencing those around them or persuading others on their behalf). The NAACP's Crusade for Citizenship in the late 1950s with the organizational skills of Ella Baker showed this kind of work could be done in the deep South, but needed more cross-organizational support infrastructures to stave off the violent reactions of segregationists. The greatest impact would have to happen at the local grassroots levels -. and this meant empowerment of local leaders.

This article on Diane Nash was written about Nash receiving the Freedom Award from the National Civil Rights Museum. Nash became the leader of the movement in Nashville and helped organize the sit-ins in Nashville. She was a part of SNCC, SCLC, and the freedom rides. Doctor King even said that Nashville had the best nonviolent movement in the nation. The museum president Beverly Robertson said that women were usually the wives of leaders, but Nash was a leader by herself. I chose to write about this article because Nash was such an influential person in the civil rights movement and helped to open new doors up to many people. She also served as an inspiration for other women that were involved in the movement. Through her hard work and many of her actions during the civil rights movement I believe that Nash was very deserving of this award that was presented to her.

Oral history interview conducted with Louise Reynolds on June 13, 1979 by Mary Bobo. Louise Reynolds was the first African American woman elected alderman in the city of Louisville. Ms. Reynolds discusses her work with the Republican Party, including her work as a precinct committeewoman, in the party's headquarters, and for Representative John Robsion. She worked for Robsion in the 1950s, and was elected to Louisville's Board of Alderman in 1961. Ms. Reynolds discusses the legislation passed during her time on the board, including the Public Accommodations Ordinance, the establishment of the Human Relations Commission, and an Equal Opportunity ordinance, and her involvement in trying to pass an open housing ordinance. She discusses the administrations of mayors William Cowger, and to a lesser extent, Kenneth Schmied. She also describes a visit to the White House at the invitation of President Lyndon Johnson. She also worked for the Small Business Administration, and she talks about the advice she gives small businesspeople who approach the SBA for loans, and notes several successful African American businesspeople in Louisville.

In researching the segregation of public libraries, I also found that during the establish of the Carnegie libraries spurred the creation of many women's groups throughout the country in the late 19th century. These women's group have taken off and continued throughout history. 

A review of _The Maid Narratives_ by Aaron W. Hughey, Department of Counseling and Student Affairs, Western Kentucky University. members of the local community. He points out the Bowling Green connection: attorney Flora Templeton Stuart (van Wormer's sister) who tells of her memory of Kentuckian Celestine Holmes. Called "Teen," Holmes was her nanny when Stuart grew up in New Orleans in the 1950s.

Since I just came back from active duty, I found this biography of Lt. Anna Mac Clarke very interesting. She was an African American woman born in Lawrenceburg, KY and was the first female, African American female, to be specific, to command an all-white unit. I feel that this brief article not only demonstrates the magnitude of such an accomplishment, but that it also provides wonderful insight about a topic that deserves much more attention: women in the military. With both the historical background and significance of this article, I think others will find it just as useful.

This article is very interesting. It is hard to believe that an African American women who led an all white group of troops late in her military career was subject to swimming in the pool at her base camp in Iowa only for one hour a week on fridays, after the pool was sanitized. Lt. Clarke had to be a strong willed women who was constantly challenged in her military life due to the fact of being black and a women. The majority of the army being white men, this race and gender issue must of been a challenge each and everyday.

The opening section of "The Future Well-Being of Women in Kentucky" published in 1999 as a response to the "Report on the Status of Women in Kentucky" - I enjoyed very much the many meetings and conversations with a diverse group of women activists from all over Kentucky that were involved in the making of this report. (NOTE: to progress through this e-book, it works best if you simply change the chapter number in the URL because the hyperlinks among pages are not always consistent.)

"In addition to nominating segregationist candidates for office, the party demonstrated frequently and sparked or participated in street violence in several states. In St. Augustine, Florida, in 1964, Connie Lynch, the NSRP's "official policy speaker," told a crowd of 800, "I favor violence to preserve the white race....In 1966 Lynch and four other party leaders were convicted and sent to prison for inciting a riot in Baltimore, and killings took place in the wake of NSRP rallies in Alabama in 1965 and in Kentucky in 1968." This organization gained followers from many different kinds of right-wing activists: Klansmen, White Citizens' Councils, conspiratorial anti-Communists and George Lincoln Rockwell, founder of the American Nazi Party.

A journal entry about the segregation of libraries. It includes pictures from a Louisville library at the bottom. 

Press release of unveiling of new highway sign by Governor Beshear and Louisville-area community leaders to celebrate Georgia Davis Powers - 7.5 mile section of I-264 in western Louisville is now the Georgia Davis Powers Expressway as per the House Joint Resolution 67 of the 2010 General Assembly.

If you are planning to be in Chicago on November 12th, register for this terrific seminar on Sophonisba Breckinridge. Anya Jabour, an excellent historian, will be presenting a paper for discussion about a campaign by this innovative professor to reform the way the police and the court treated women of color.