It's in the Action: Memories of a Nonviolent Warrior

The wisdom acquired during C. T. Vivian's nine decades is generously shared in It's in the Action, the civil rights legend's memoir of his life and times in the movement. Born in Missouri in 1924, Vivian lived twenty-four years in Illinois before moving to Nashville, where he earned a degree in theology and joined John Lewis, Diane Nash, and others to integrate the city in 1960. After being imprisoned and beaten during the Freedom Rides, he joined Dr. King at the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in Atlanta and played leading roles in integration and voting rights campaigns in Birmingham, St. Augustine, and Selma. Over the next half century, he became internationally known for his work for education and civil and human rights and against racism, hatred, and economic inequality. In 2013, Barack Obama awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Vivian passed away peacefully in Atlanta on July 17, 2020.

Vivian was never defined by discrimination and hardship, although he faced many instances of both. The late civil rights leader's heart-wrenching and inspiring stories from a lifetime of nonviolent activism come just in time for a new generation of activists, similarly responding to systems of injustice, violence, and oppression. It's in the Action is a record of a life dedicated to selflessness and morality, qualities achieved by Vivian that we can all aspire to. Bearing a foreword from Andrew Young, the memoir is an important addition to civil rights history and to the understanding of movement principles and strategies.

Author: C. T. Vivian, Steve Fiffer
Publisher: NewSouth Books
Published: 03/16/2021
Pages: 208
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.00lbs
Size: 9.10h x 6.10w x 1.00d
ISBN: 9781588384416


Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 02/01/2021
Library Journal 02/19/2021 pg. 1

About the Author
Fiffer, Steve: - Steve Fiffer is an author and community activist whose distinguished career includes collaborations with the likes of Dr. Quentin Young, personal doctor to Martin Luther King Jr.; Robert Jordan, former ambassador to Saudi Arabia; and James A. Baker, former U.S. secretary of state. He is the co-author of Jimmie Lee and James: Two Lives, Two Deaths, and the Movement that Changed America, a Harlem Book Fair nonfiction finalist. He is also the co-writer of Southern Poverty Law Center co-founder Morris Dees's two award-winning memoirs A Season for Justice and Hate on Trial. Fiffer lives today in Evanston, Illinois, with his wife Sharon, a novelist. He currently serves on the advisory board of the Civic Leadership Foundation in Chicago, a nonprofit that serves underprivileged youth.Young, Andrew: - Andrew Young was raised in a segregated New Orleans, an experience that would shape his later activities during the civil rights movement. After earning his divinity degree from Hartford Seminary, Young accepted an offer to pastor a church in Marion, Alabama, where he encouraged African Americans to register to vote and became acquainted with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In the most critical years of the movement, Young served as executive director of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and worked in Birmingham, St. Augustine, Selma, and Atlanta directly. Young was the representative for Georgia's 5th District in Congress from 1973 to 1977, after which he became the 14th U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and then the 55th mayor of Atlanta. Today Young focuses on community improvement through organizations like the Andrew Young Foundation.Vivian, C. T.: - Born in Missouri in 1924, C. T. Vivian lived twenty-four years in Illinois before moving to Nashville, where he earned a degree in theology and joined John Lewis, Diane Nash, and others to integrate the city in 1960. After being imprisoned and beaten during the Freedom Rides, he joined Dr. King at the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in Atlanta and played leading roles in integration and voting rights campaigns in Birmingham, St. Augustine, and Selma. In 2013, President Barack Obama awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Vivian. He passed away peacefully in Atlanta on July 17, 2020.