“The White Man Who Stayed” Tells A Story Of Activism During The Civil Rights Era (audio)

On this episode of Talk of Iowa, host Charity Nebbe speaks with author and poet James Autry.

Jim grew up in Mississippi at a time when the Deep South was segregated. He came of age during the Civil Rights movement and, like so many liberal minded white southerners, he moved north.

This summer, while so many Americans participated in a renewed movement for racial equality and social justice, Autry has been thinking about his cousin – Douglas Autry. Douglas did not move north, but rather stayed in the Deep South. He worked to integrate the local schools and created educational opportunities for all the children of Benton County, Mississippi. Jim writes about his cousin’s experience and life in the book, “The White Man Who Stayed.”