TREZZVANT W. ANDERSON AND THE BLACK FREEDOM STRUGGLE FOR ECONOMIC ...

321 Pages·2016·4.93 MB·English

COURIER OF CRISIS, MESSENGER OF HOPE: TREZZVANT W. ANDERSON AND
THE BLACK FREEDOM STRUGGLE FOR ECONOMIC JUSTICE

Willie James Griffin

A dissertation submitted to the faculty of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in
partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of
History

Chapel Hill
2016

Approved by
Jerma A. Jackson
James L. Leloudis
Jacquelyn D. Hall
Robert R. Korstad
Crystal S. Feimster
Robert S. Smith
© 2016
Willie James Griffin
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

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ABSTRACT

Willie James Griffin: Courier of Crisis, Messenger of Hope: Trezzvant W. Anderson and the
Black Freedom Struggle for Economic Justice
(Under the direction of Dr. Jerma Jackson and Dr. James L. Leloudis)

This dissertation examines the development of the black freedom struggle for
economic justice in the American South between the early 1930s and 1960s through the lens
of activist-journalist Trezzvant William Anderson. This study argues that his life, writings,
and activism provide a more balanced view of the modern Civil Right Movement’s
development. Anderson’s organizing and advocacy sought to elevate the demands for
African American equal economic opportunities. Beginning in the late 1920s Anderson used
his mobility as a railway mail clerk to undergird an initially clandestine journalism career.
By the early 1930s, he was the most influential black press correspondent in the South.
Anderson took a leading role in and documented the groundswell of activism concentrated on
gaining equal labor rights for blacks in the nation’s growing New Deal civil service industry.
He continued to fight for labor equality as America entered the fray of World War II and was
later drafted into the military, where he led efforts to document black soldiers experiences
abroad.
Following the war, Trezzvant Anderson returned home to Charlotte, North Carolina
where he briefly published two newspapers to assist in his efforts to mobilize black veterans
and keep local African Americans informed about Operation Dixie, a movement to organize
black and white labor in the South. In the late 1940s, he joined the staff of the Pittsburgh
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Courier and became a leading critic of American domestic and foreign Cold War policy. As
the classical phase of the Civil Rights Movement emerged, Anderson assumed the role of
‘Roving Courier’ and traveled across the South and documented its unfolding. His activism
spanned four decades and his life serves as a critical bridge that connects the pre-1950s
untelevised movement to the televised movement that emerged in the late 1950s. Anderson
was a maven of the black press and demonstrated a keen understanding of its power and
effectively used it as a communications’ network for political protest and organizing in the
twentieth-century struggle for first-class black citizenship rights.

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To Courtney

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The birth of this dissertation, at times, was both painful and seemed undoable, but it
has been a beautiful struggle through which I have endured only because of an amazing and
diverse cadre of supportive scholars, friends, and family. My dissertation committee
consisted of Jerma Jackson, Jim Leloudis, Jacquelyn Hall, Crystal Feimster, Bob Korstad and
Rob Smith. They supported, taught and mentored me since and before I arrived at Chapel
Hill in 2007.
My co-advisors Jerma and Jim could not have meshed better and to them, I am
forever indebted. They deserve considerable credit for guiding me with steady hands through
the highs and lows of this project. Jerma and Jim both exhibit a sense of passion and
professionalism that I will forever admire and strive to achieve. Jerma is a master teacher
and legendary for her insightful questions, she pushed me at every turn of this project and has
come to mean more to me than she will ever know. Always cool and collected, Jim taught
me to trust the process, “it is much like sculpting” he often explained during the early stages
of the project.
Jacquelyn, a giant in the history profession, is one of the most humble persons one
could ever meet; from her, I learned that everyone has an important voice waiting to be
heard. It was a pleasure to learn from Crystal. She is a calm and peaceful spirit, who always
offered genuine encouragement, “we are not who we are going to become,” she reminded me
once. Bob’s work forced me to consider new ideas and ask new questions about labor and
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the Civil Right Movement; last but certainly not least, Rob read and critiqued my master’s
thesis and compelled me to move my work forward, he offered support throughout the entire
process.
Tim Tyson also played a key role in the production of this dissertation. He was my
primary outside reader—an unofficial member of my committee. His Radio Free Dixie
helped make the Civil Rights Movement matter to me. I first became acquainted with Tim
while I worked on my master’s thesis at Morgan, and we became reacquainted midway
through my time at UNC. Our friendship blossomed and he became like family. Tim made
himself readily available to me and voraciously read drafts of chapters and provided
instantaneous feedback.
Courtney Huell, Ama Saran, and Barbara Huell have all been indispensable to my life
and growth as a scholar. I met Courtney in a history major’s club meeting nineteen years
ago, we soon discovered that we were kindred spirits and became life-long partners six years
later. She was the first person that began to help me make sense of Charlotte’s history and
Trezz’s life. Courtney read and offered critiques on many of my earliest drafts. Ama and
Barbara have been best friends since their days as history majors at Spelman College; they
often shared fond memories of their experiences working under Vincent Harding. When I
began my master’s thesis Ama stressed how important it was for me to place myself within
the history. After I discovered and amassed an avalanche of material on Anderson, she
eagerly helped me parse through it and provided me with a method to get organized. Barbara
(the Sheriff) offered love and support throughout the process, she read my entire dissertation
in the final hour and offered thoughtful perspective on Anderson’s larger contributions to the
black freedom struggle.
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I would also like to thank the staffs of the following repositories and special
collections divisions, the National Personnel Records Center, Library of Congress, FDR
Presidential Library and Museum, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Chicago
History Museum, Moorland-Spingarn Research Center and Robert W. Woodruff Library. Of
particular help was Andrea Jackson at Woodruff, helped me navigate their archives and
answered questions about Anderson’s papers. I am particularly indebted to and must profess
warm gratitude towards to those few who allowed me to access their stories and memories of
Trezzvant Anderson. Some have passed into the ancestors’ realm, like Reginald Hawkins,
James Richardson, and Daisy Stroud. Others, like Lonnie King and John Britton, offered me
invaluable stories that provided deeper insight into Anderson’s life and impact. My time
with Britton and his partner, Cherrie, will forever be cherished. They invited me into their
home like I was family, John and I talked for almost eight hours, ate Low Country fish,
shrimp and grits; it was the best research experience that I have ever had.
Fellowships and funding provided me the time and resources I needed to craft this
dissertation. The Graduate School at UNC (Dissertation Completion Fellowship and
Minority Presence Fellowship), UNC’s Department of History (Mowry and Clein
Dissertation Grant), and the Center for the Study of the American South (Graduate Student
Research Grant) all provided generous and timely support.
Outside Chapel Hill, I have depended on the kindness of friends, family, and
colleagues for room and board while on research trips. Darrick Graham in Atlanta, Georgia
provided shelter and access to his car, whenever I visited Anderson’s papers. A. Phillip
Stevenson offered the same during my time in Washington, D.C. Leslie Huell and Fabrizio
Di Mitri provided a warm place for me in New York.
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I would be remised if I did not thank another group of historians, my fellow UNC
cohort, who supported and encouraged me from the initial research phase to the final stages
of writing this dissertation; first and foremost Kerry Taylor (who led me to Trezz’s Papers),
Brandon “B-Dub” Winford, Jennifer Dixon, Dwana Waugh, Chris Cameron, Jon Powell,
Josh Davis, Anna Krome-Lukens, Brad Proctor, Hilary Green, Jennifer Donnally, Rachel
Martin, and Seth Kotch.
I must also acknowledge my Morgan State University professors Rosalyn Terborg-
Penn, Debra Newman-Ham, Jo Ann Robinson, and Jeremiah Dibua for their past and
continued support. It was Dr. Robinson who introduced me to Tim Tyson’s work and
sparked my interest in Charlotte’s indigenous civil rights movement through her “Most
Recent Civil Rights Movement” class. I also owe a great deal to my Morehouse College
family, Alton Hornsby, Jr. and Marcellus C. Barksdale, for mentoring and providing me with
more than adequate foundations on which to grow and prosper as a scholar. Dr. Hornsby and
Dr. Barksdale, both, deserve much of the credit for first grounding me to serious historical
research and scholarship. A special thanks goes out to Akinyele Umoja, my first college
history professor, who helped start the process of my awakening. I would also like to
recognize my close Morehouse brothers who were there when this journey began and
encouraged me along the way to completing this dissertation; thank you Darrick Graham
(and the Graham family), Fanon Howell, Hassan Jefferies, Gregory Johnson, Dedrick Bonds,
Lavelle Porter, Tracy Flemming, Courtney Gober, Hajj Womack, Max Hull and Pervis
Brown.
Finally, even though he passed just as I began my studies at UNC, I would like to
give special thanks to my grandfather Fred Andrew Griffin who always told me that I could
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do anything I wanted to, he not only provided me with valuable inroads into Charlotte’s
black community, but also helped me grow as a man. Also, I would like to recognize my
Griffin and Murray families in Charlotte, particularly my mother LaVette Griffin, sister and
brother, Brandie and LaMarcus and Deloris and Everett Taylor (and their crew) for their
loving support throughout my undergraduate and graduate education. I would also like to
thank the rest of my Huell family, my Pops (who also read chapters) and my brother Mel. I
cannot forget my Hunter and Morant families nationwide, but especially the Durhamites:
Uncle Ronnie, Aunt Kat, Chris and Tomah (and your crews) offered me safe spaces, good
food, and spirits, constant encouragement and support throughout my time Chapel Hill. Most
importantly, I would like to once again thank my wife Courtney and my three—mean the
world to me—children: Nia Ade, Asa Akil, and Naima Ayo who helped provide the pressure
needed to complete this dissertation.

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