As a leader of the Southern Regional Council in the early 1960s, and later as executive director of the Field Foundation, Leslie Dunbar's advocacy and behind-the-scenes organizing made him one of the most significant (but least recognized) people in the civil rights movement. His essays and speeches often helped set the agenda. They also continue to offer a prophetic voice in our struggle to create a more humane and fully integrated America.
The Shame of Southern Politics gathers for the first time fourteen of Dunbar's essays and speeches on the courage and values of the southern civil rights movement. Dunbar's selected writings, ranging from the classic 1961 essay "The Annealing of the South" to a post-September 11th meditation, give eloquent voice to the best of America's liberal tradition. A new essay entitled "1968" offers Dunbar's unique take on that transformational year.