Rhodes College Memphis

Civil Rights historian: Albany 'hallowed ground'

ALBANY, Ga. — Civil Rights historian Charles McKinney, an associate professor of history at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tenn., cut right to the chase Thursday night at the Albany Civil Rights Institute.

“This is hallowed ground. This is the church in which Martin Luther King Jr., spoke, these are the sidewalks upon which people knelt in prayer as they were arrested,” McKinney said. “I am here to pay homage to the men and women who were the foot soldiers in a movement we still struggle to understand today.

“And it is always an honor to stand on hallowed ground.”

McKinney, author of “Greater Freedom: The Evolution of the Civil Rights Movement in Wilson, N.C.,” said that while the Movement in Albany and Wilson shared the ultimate goal of racial equality, the insertion of King into the fray with his arrest (along with 250 others) in 1961 branded Albany as one of the “hot spots” of the movement.

“One of the primary differences is that Albany was thrust into the national spotlight when he was arrested here in 1961,” McKinney said. “Dr. King had star-power and put Albany on the map along with Birmingham and Montgomery.

“The crucial difference between Wilson and Albany was the King factor. His arrest in Albany was a seminal moment and gave impetus to The Movement in south Georgia. But when people read that they think The Movement began in 1961, which is wrong. It was going on years before that.”

McKinney said Wilson’s movement developed slowly and organically and was punctuated by a series of near-misses. The most notable being a planned visit in 1968 by King which never materialized.

“Dr. King was supposed to visit Wilson in April of 1968 after leading striking sanitation workers in Memphis,” McKinney said. “He was leaving Memphis when the situation turned violent and he returned to the city.

“We all know what happened then.”

On April 4, 1968, King was assassinated while standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis.

Aside from the King factor, there were other differences in the two civil rights movements.

“In the Upper South the levels of violence were much lower than in the Deep South,” McKinney said, alluding to North Carolina’s more moderate atmosphere in regard to race relations. “Still there were levels of ‘economic violence’ where ‘agitators’ could be called downtown and informed that their entire mortgage was now due. Our high school students, however, drew inspiration from places like Albany and wanted to hold protests in 1961.

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Rhodes College seeks a Director of Student Conduct. The Director of Student Conduct works with colleagues to support and retain students.

Rhodes College has a history of more than 75 years of student governance, which includes student judiciaries. The student community, with honor as a core value, is a foundation of the Rhodes experience. The Director serves as a hearing officer, and the administrator for student conduct, including policy and procedure, conduct records and dean's certification forms. The Director advises student judiciaries for the honor and social codes and trains the Greek judicial board and sexual misconduct board. This person shares crisis management, and coordinates student programming, which includes some weekend and evening hours. Student relationships in our city influence perception of peers and the college, and this position serves as an advocate for commuter students.

Bachelor's degree required and Master's degree in a related field strongly preferred. At least one to three years of experience in conflict management, student conduct issues, and/or previous employment in higher education residence life with experience in behavioral adjudication is required. The position requires a flexible schedule with evening and weekend hours.

Founded in 1848, Rhodes College is a highly selective, private, residential college, located in Memphis, TN. Rhodes offers an excellent benefits package and a great working environment. For a complete job description and to apply online, please visit http://jobs.rhodes.edu .

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