Remembering Jim Crow: African Americans Tell About Life in the Segregated South

This groundbreaking sequel to Remembering Slavery is an extraordinary opportunity to read and hear the voices of men and women from all walks of life who tell, in vivid and compelling stories, how their most ordinary activities were subjected to profound racial oppression—in the workplace, on street corners, and above all in the public facilities and institutions that systematically demeaned, disenfranchised, and disempowered black people. At the same time, Remembering Jim Crow is a testament to how black southerners fought back against the system, raising children, building churches and schools, running businesses, and struggling for respect in a society that denied them the most basic rights. The result is a powerful story of survival enriched by vivid memories of individual, family, and community triumphs and tragedies.

Recipient of the 2002 Lillian Smith Book Award and the 2002 Carey McWilliams Book Award

A “landmark book.”
—Publishers Weekly, “The Year in Books”

“Based on about 1,200 interviews and in-depth research in 25 communities and 10 different states undertaken by the Behind the Veil project at Duke University's Center for Documentary Studies, this remarkable book-and-CD set offers intimate views into the thoughts, activities, and anxieties of black Americans and at the same time strengthens our understanding of the Jim Crow era."
—Library Journal

“A multimedia triumph . . . This is not just an oral history for the South, but for us all. It is a sobering reminder of the mistakes this nation has made, a hopeful reflection on how far we have come.”
—Kansas City Star