The Secret Ingredient to the Civil Rights Movement

Here we explore the growth of black federal employment in contrast to a more openly hostile and discriminatory private sector after WWII. Many urban blacks escaped both social and economic oppression in the South and found more security in federal employment, allowing for the personal stability necessary to risk participating in the growing Civil Rights Movement. Many black public sector employees quietly waged battles for dignity and respect within labor circles and within society at large, eventually forcing the federal government to “pay it forward” with innovative workplace protections (e.g., Title VII of CRA) that ultimately benefited all American citizens. Discover these unsung heroes!

Frederick W. Gooding, Jr. is an Assistant Professor within the Ethnic Studies Program at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, AZ. A trained historian, Gooding most effectively analyzes contemporary mainstream media with a careful eye for persistent patterns along racial lines that appear benign but indeed have problematic historical roots. A developing scholar, Gooding’s most well-known work thus far is You Mean, There’s RACE in My Movie? The Complete Guide to Understanding Race in Mainstream Hollywood, which critically analyzes the value and impact of contemporary racial imagery based upon historical narratives of sex, power and violence.