To Right These Wrongs: The North Carolina Fund and the Battle to End Poverty and Inequality in 1960s America

by Robert R. Korstad, James L. Leloudis, Billy Barnes (Photographer)

Overview

When Governor Terry Sanford established the North Carolina Fund in 1963, he saw it as a way to provide a better life for the "tens of thousands whose family income is so low that daily subsistence is always in doubt." Illustrated with evocative photographs by Billy Barnes, To Right These Wrongs offers a lively account of this pioneering effort in America's War on Poverty.

Robert Korstad and James Leloudis describe how the Fund's initial successes grew out of its reliance on private philanthropy and federal dollars and its commitment to the democratic mobilization of the poor. Both were calculated tactics designed to outflank conservative state lawmakers and entrenched local interests that nourished Jim Crow, perpetuated one-party politics, and protected an economy built on cheap labor. By late 1968, when the Fund closed its doors, a resurgent politics of race had gained the advantage, led by a Republican Party that had reorganized itself around opposition to civil rights and aid to the poor.

The North Carolina Fund came up short in its battle against poverty, but its story continues to be a source of inspiration and instruction for new generations of Americans.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780807895740
Publisher:	The University of North Carolina Press
Publication date:	01/20/2011
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	448
File size:	12 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Robert R. Korstad is Kevin D. Gorter Professor of Public Policy and History at the Terry Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University. James L. Leloudis is professor of history, associate dean for honors, and director of the James M. Johnston Center for Undergraduate Excellence at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
James L. Leloudis is associate professor of history, associate dean for honors, and director of the James M. Johnston Center for Undergraduate Excellence at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

1 Battle Lines 11

2 Alliances 57

3 Citizen Soldiers 109

4 An Army of the Poor 165

5 Fighting for the High Ground 231

6 Counterassault 287

Epilogue 347

Notes 357

Bibliography 393

Acknowledgments 411

Index 415

About the DVD Change Comes Knocking 437

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

An important study. Korstad and Leloudis are well-respected historians and the story they tell here is fascinating. This is a well-researched and engaging account, accessible to a broad range of readers interested in the intersection of public policy and history. It will be of immediate interest to politicians, policy makers, and activists interested in economic justice and the historical legacies of race and class inequalities.—Christina Greene, author of Our Separate Ways: Women and the Black Freedom Movement in Durham, North Carolina

A thoroughly and excellently documented work that fills one of the major gaps in our understanding of the Great Society and the War on Poverty. Korstad and Leloudis's interpretations of the politics of race and poverty in North Carolina are bold and nuanced.—Harvard Sitkoff, professor of history, University of New Hampshire

One of the many virtues of To Right These Wrongs is its understanding of poverty as an issue of power, or, more accurately, of power's mal-distribution, and one of its signal achievements is the way in which it draws the links between the Civil Rights Movement, the War on Poverty, and labor union activity. The story told in this beautifully executed book is important for the present as well as the past.—Michael B. Katz, Walter H. Annenberg Professor of History, University of Pennsylvania

This book is a must read if you want to learn more about the cruelties of poverty while at the same time witnessing the struggle of people fighting against it. The North Carolina Fund made a difference in the lives of people who deserved much more from the richest country in the world. This book challenges the assumptions many have about poor peoples' apathy and indifference to their own conditions.—Howard Fuller, Founder and Director, Institute for the Transformation of Learning, Marquette University

These pages vividly record a superior achievement of the Terry Sanford years. This story, so well written by Korstad and Leloudis, is essential reading for understanding North Carolina's crucial time of transition and change.—William C. Friday, President Emeritus, University of North Carolina

To Right These Wrongs is an important history confined to a small space. This is a major intervention into the relationship of the state and welfare, a historical reclamation of policy aspects of poverty programs, and a sensitive rendering from top to bottom of the political economy of poverty.—Glenda Elizabeth Gilmore, Peter V. and C. Vann Woodward Professor of History, Yale University

Editorial Reviews

“The definitive story of the philanthropic North Carolina Fund.” — Carolina Arts & Sciences

“To Right These Wrongs chronicles the mixed results of the Fund’s efforts. . . . [and] shows in detail how some poor people made specific and substantial progress.” — The Chapel Hill News

“Korstad and Leloudis’s history is exceptionally well researched and documented. Their writing style is precise and analytical, and their prose is often soaring and surprisingly inspirational. . . . An invaluable contribution that should be widely studied and discussed.” — Poverty & Public Policy

“Vividly records a superior achievement of the Terry Sanford years. . . . A must read if you want to learn about the cruelties of poverty while at the same time witnessing the struggle of people fighting against it.” — McCormick Messenger

“A fascinating account of an inspiring, short-lived chapter in recent US history. . . . Highly recommended.” — CHOICE

“As might be expected from a collaboration between two highly accomplished historians, To Right These Wrongs is diligently researched and eloquently written. . . . The strength of this book lies . . . in the personal stories of impoverished people seeking political empowerment and the basic requirements of a decent life-style.” — North Carolina Historical Review

“One of the first detailed accounts of the Fund and its relationship to the decade’s larger anti-poverty agenda. . . . Provide[s] a captivating sense of the possibility and promise felt by the Fund’s leaders. . . . The story and lessons of the Fund make this an important book for those interested in understanding the process of social change.” — Left History

“To Right These Wrongs will no doubt be viewed as important contribution to the growing literature on the 1960s that emphasizes struggles beyond the traditionally understood parameters of the Civil Rights Movement….Most importantly, Korstad and Leloudis offer a powerful rebuttal to persistent ideas about the 'culture of poverty' that continue to dominate contemporary understandings of both economic and racial inequality in both the South and the United States.” — Southern Historian

“The reassessment of Governor Sanford’s legacy, the deep research into the three community action programs, and the clear analysis…make this study valuable for scholars interested in the Great Society, the modern South, and social movements of the 1960s. The clear prose, the beautiful photographs, and the accompanying digital video disk (DVD), Change Comes Knocking: The Story of the North Carolina Fund, make this work accessible to a wide audience.” — Journal of American History

“[A] powerful social history of the fund.” — Journal of Southern History

From the Publisher