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William Christopher's journal describing the civil rights marches in Alabama, 1965 Mar.

Physical Details: Diary : 52 p. : handwritten ; 20 x 13 cm.

Creator: William R. (William Rodolphus) Christopher (1924-1973)

Description: In March 1965, painter William Christopher and his partner George Tooker responded to Dr. Martin Luther King’s appeal for support in the Selma-to-Montgomery, Alabama march for voting rights. On March 14, 1965, one week after “Bloody Sunday,” when peaceful black protesters in Selma, on their way to Montgomery, were beaten back by Alabama state troopers, Christopher, Tooker, and John Scotford, Jr., who taught with Christopher in the art department at Dartmouth College, arrived in Montgomery as official representatives of the all-white Dartmouth branch of the NAACP.

Loose pages of a letter, notes and clippings are folded into the journal. The letter, dated 1965 Feb. 3, is to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and concerns the safety of MLK.

Forms part of: William Christopher papers, 1946-1972

Rights Statement: Current copyright status is undetermined

Citation: William Christopher's journal describing the civil rights marches in Alabama, 1965 Mar.. William Christopher papers, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

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Digital ID: 8423

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