Eben Miller - Born along the Color Line: The 1933 Amenia Conference and the Rise of a National Civil Rights Movement

Born along the Color Line

The 1933 Amenia Conference and the Rise
of a National Civil Rights Movement

EBEN MILLER

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Eben Miller wishes to thank the Crisis Publishing Co., Inc., the publisher of The Crisis,
the magazine of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People,
for the use of the images first published in the December 1930,
September 1935, March 1936, and April 1937 issues.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Miller, Eben.
Born along the color line : the 1933 Amenia Conference and the rise
of a national civil rights movement / Eben Miller.
p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-19-517455-7
1. Amenia Conference (1933) 2. National Association for the Advancement of
Colored PeopleHistory20th century. 3. Civil rights movementsUnited States
History20th century. 4. African AmericansCivil rightsHistory20th century.
5. African AmericansEconomic conditions20th century. 6. Redding, Louis L.
7. Harris, Abram Lincoln, 18991963. 8. Jackson, Juanita C. 9. Weston, M. Moran, 19102002.
10. Bunche, Ralph J. (Ralph Johnson), 19041971. I. Title.
E185.61.M626 2011
323.1196073c22 2011010832

1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2

Printed in the United States of America
on acid-free paper

For Tracey

It is humbling to contemplate the sources of inspiration, encouragement, and support that have sustained this project. Born along the Color Line began as a dissertation at Brandeis University, where I had the great fortune of holding a Rose and Irving Crown Fellowship in American History among a talented and generous cohort. A writing group including Benjamin Irvin, Molly McCarthy, Hilary Moss, Paul Ringel, Greg Renoff, and Jeff Wiltse commented thoughtfully on the earliest versions of this work. Ben read multiple chapters, and Molly was kind enough to open her home to me during several research trips to New York. I relied, too, on the perspectives and camaraderie of Jason Opal, Anthony Smith, and Jacob Weir-Gertzog. I am especially beholden to Anthony for the many lunches and coffees along the Red Line, for putting me up in Cambridge when I needed to complete just one more day of research, and for his assistance years later when I could no longer easily access the troves of documents housed at Harvard University. I began this project in early 2000 while taking Jane Kamenskys course on narrative strategies. It was a privilege to learn from Jane, who embraces the challenge of writing about the past with unparalleled care and grace. My dissertation committee included James Campbell, who offered concrete advice for revising the dissertation for publication. I still have the notes David Engerman kept during my dissertation defense, as well his many insightful prescriptions for improvement. I returned to these repeatedly for guidance during the revision process and I remain appreciative of his steadfast support of my research and for his eagerness to introduce me into the academic profession.

The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, the Rockefeller Archives Center, the Sophia Smith Collection at Smith College, and the Louis, Frances, and Jeffrey Sachar research fund at Brandeis University helped underwrite early research. A Dissertation Year Fellowship from the Brandeis University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences allowed me to complete the dissertation. The professionals staffing the archives and special collections I depended upon provided expertise and assistance, including at Atlanta University; the Beinecke Rare Books and Manuscripts Library at Yale University; Brown University; Columbia University; the Delaware Historical Society; the Library of Congress; the Moorland-Spingarn Research Center at Howard University; the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture; Smith College; the Rockefeller Archives Center; the University of California, Los Angeles; the University of Delaware; the University of Massachusetts Amherst; and the University of Pennsylvania. Undertaking this project would have been far less feasible had I not enjoyed access to the miles of microfilm held in the libraries of Harvard University. Hopefully the reading room at the W. E. B. Du Bois Institute will continue to be open for browsing. The proprietors of the Troutbeck Inn and Conference Center allowed me to tour Joel and Amy Spingarns former estate and shared a few fascinating examples of ephemera that remain there. Teaching courses on the African American freedom struggle at Brandeis University and Southern Maine Community College (SMCC) forced me to clarify my understanding of the long civil rights movement. At SMCC, my academic dean, Janet Sortor, and my department chair, Bill Sutton, supported my course development, for which I remain thankful. I wish to express my appreciation, too, to the students who made the experience of teaching some of the contents of this book so rewarding.

Jason Opal invited me to participate in the Southern Maine American Historians Research Group at the perfect moment during late rounds of revision. The feedback offered by him and by Chuck Dorn, Joe Hall, David Hecht, Matt Klingle, Jennifer Scanlon, David Scobey, and Jeff Selinger was especially useful during the last stages of revising. Beneficial responses to my work also came from fellow conference participants, including Beth Tompkins Bates, Martha Biondi, Prudence Cumberbatch, Crystal Feimster, Rea Ferguson, Erik Gellman, and Patricia Sullivan. Jonathan Holloway and Kenneth Janken read the original manuscript for Oxford University Press, each offering helpful commentary. I thank Jonathan especially for the kind encouragements. Colleagues at George Mason University, including Joan Bristol, the late Roy Rosenzweig, Randolph Scully, and Lauren Sklaroff offered warm and welcome support. Leslie Schwalm expressed an enthusiasm about an earlier chapter on Juanita Jackson that I thought of often while revising the manuscript. Rick and Sherri Salvatore provided hospitality during a trip to Philadelphia. Joe Hummer generously helped make my research in Los Angeles so enjoyable. Molly McCarthy and Melissa Sundell devoted time and attention to improving the penultimate version of the manuscript. I remain appreciative of the opportunity to have met the late Moran Weston during the earliest stages of my research. He and his wife, Mrs. Miriam Weston, graciously invited me to Florida, where I spent portions of two days asking about, among other things, his youth in North Carolina, what he recalled of the 1933 Amenia Conference, and his life in New York City.