The Unlikely World of the Montgomery Bus Boycott: Solidarity Across Alabama, the United Kingdom, and South Africa

by Cole S. Manley

Overview

In The Unlikely World of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Cole Manley analyzes the global influences and impact of the boycott of 1955–1956. Manley moves beyond the borders of Alabama, and even beyond the United States, to interrogate how Black Montgomery boycotters thought about their movement in relationship to global freedom struggles, from the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa to the anti-color bar battles in the United Kingdom.

With each day the boycott continued, news of the movement traveled farther, reaching White pacifists in New York, Black internationalists in London, and, not long thereafter, anti-apartheid leaders in South Africa. Black Montgomery citizens, such as Jo Ann Robinson, recognized that their boycott was connected to, and in conversation with, freedom movements around the world.

The Unlikely World of the Montgomery Bus Boycott calls for a new reading of the United States civil rights movement, one which can encompass the expansive thinking and radical dreams of leaders like Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., and Robinson. The Montgomery boycott was much more than a battle over fair bus seating. Due in part to the global thinking of its organizers, the boycott remains a paradigmatic case of how social movements can resonate around the world. It is an example of the power of protest and solidarity which continues to inspire present-day struggles for racial and economic justice.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781588384522
Publisher:	University of Georgia Press
Publication date:	08/03/2021
Pages:	122
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x (d)

About the Author

COLE S. MANLEY is a PhD student in the History Department at the University of California, Davis, where he studies 19th and 20th century United States history. Manley completed his BA in History at Stanford University, where he worked as a research assistant at the Martin Luther King Jr. Research and Education Institute. At the King Institute, he helped develop an online course on Dr. King’s inner life and global vision. Manley’s research on the global consciousness of Dr. King led to a Master’s thesis that became the basis for The Unlikely World of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. He completed his Master’s in International and World History in a dual-degree program at Columbia University and the London School of Economics and Political Science. Born in San Francisco, Manley traces his deep interest in the history of social movements to his upbringing in a family of teachers and to parents who took him to protests from a very young age. When not reading or writing, Manley enjoys walking his dog and running on the roads and trails of northern California.

COLE S. MANLEY is a PhD student in the History Department at the University of California, Davis, where he studies 19th and 20th century United States history. Manley completed his BA in History at Stanford University, where he worked as a research assistant at the Martin Luther King Jr. Research and Education Institute. At the King Institute, he helped develop an online course on Dr. King’s inner life and global vision. Manley’s research on the global consciousness of Dr. King led to a Master’s thesis that became the basis for The Unlikely World of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. He completed his Master’s in International and World History in a dual-degree program at Columbia University and the London School of Economics and Political Science. Born in San Francisco, Manley traces his deep interest in the history of social movements to his upbringing in a family of teachers and to parents who took him to protests from a very young age. When not reading or writing, Manley enjoys walking his dog and running on the roads and trails of northern California.

Table of Contents

Preface 9

Acknowledgments 16

Introduction: 'The Whole World Is Watching' 19

The Montgomery Boycott in Scholarship 23

I Gandhi, Montgomery, and the FOR Comic Book 29

Danger in Struggle 35

Americas Gandhi 37

A Christian Gandhi? 40

Jo Ann Robinson and Many Thousands of Leaders 44

The Montgomery Story Overseas 51

The Comic Book in South Africa 57

II Montgomery and Bristol's Transnational Ties 63

West Indian Civic Life in Bristol 67

Reporting on Struggles for Freedom in the UK and the USA 69

Learning about Montgomery 73

A Test Case: Guy Bailey 75

A Boycott Without Boycotters? 77

Negotiating a Settlement 79

Dreaming of Resolutions 82

Conclusions 85

Bibliography 91

Notes 104

Index 117