Overview

An unflinching look at the all but forgotten though no less shocking 1979 racial tragedy that divided Greensboro, N.C., and the nation, and the grassroots activists who, in their tireless fight for justice, refused to give up on America's promised ideals. On November 3, 1979, as activist Nelson Johnson assembled people for a march adjacent to Morningside Homes in Greensboro, North Carolina, gunshots rang out. A caravan of Klansmen and Neo-Nazis sped from the scene, leaving behind five dead. Known as the ""Greensboro Massacre,"" the event and its aftermath encapsulate the racial conflict, economic anxiety, clash of ideologies, and toxic mix of corruption and conspiracy that roiled American democracy then--and threaten it today. In 88 seconds, one Southern city shattered over irreconcilable visions of America's past and future. When the shooters are acquitted in the courts, Reverend Johnson, his wife Joyce, and their allies, at odds with the police and the Greensboro establishment, sought alternative forms of justice. As the Johnsons rebuilt their lives after 1979, they found inspiration in Nelson Mandela's post-apartheid Truth and Reconciliation Commission and Martin Luther King Jr's concept of Beloved Community and insist that only by facing history's hardest truths can healing come to the city they refuse to give up on. This intimate, deeply researched, and heart-stopping account draws upon survivor interviews, court documents, and the files from one of the largest investigations in FBI history. The persistent mysteries of the case touch deep cultural insecurities and contradictions about race and class. A quintessentially American story, Morningside explores the courage required to make change and the evolving pursuit of a more inclusive and equal future.

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9780062858214

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Reviews

The Americano's strength lies in explaining how the three anti-Batista forces constantly jockeyed for supremacy and influence. . . . Shetterly nicely weaves FBI, CIA and State Department files on Morgan into his narrative. --Washington Post Book World on The Americano Reads like a great epic novel --Carlos Eire, winner of the 2003 National Book Award for nonfiction, Waiting for Snow in Havana, on The Americano William Morgan, an American who made his way to the front line of Castro's revolution in Cuba, gets thorough and entertaining treatment in this biography. Largely unknown in the U.S., his story is filled with the suspense of a blockbuster war movie, offering new and insightful perspective into the political climate of 1950s Cuba . . . [turns] the intriguing story of one man into a thoughtful examination of 20th-century Cuban history. --Publishers Weekly (starred review) on The Americano A compelling history of one of the most intriguing characters and mysteries of the Cuban Revolution.--Ann Louise Bardach, author of Cuba Confidential and coeditor of Fidel Castro's Prison Letters, on The Americano

The Americano's strength lies in explaining how the three anti-Batista forces constantly jockeyed for supremacy and influence. . . . Shetterly nicely weaves FBI, CIA and State Department files on Morgan into his narrative. --The Washington Post Book World Reads like a great epic novel --Carlos Eire, winner of the 2003 National Book Award for nonfiction, Waiting for Snow in Havana William Morgan, an American who made his way to the front line of Castro's revolution in Cuba, gets thorough and entertaining treatment in this biography. Largely unknown in the U.S., his story is filled with the suspense of a blockbuster war movie, offering new and insightful perspective into the political climate of 1950s Cuba . . . [turns] the intriguing story of one man into a thoughtful examination of 20th-century Cuban history. --Publishers Weekly (starred review) A compelling history of one of the most intriguing characters and mysteries of the Cuban Revolution.--Ann Louise Bardach, author of Cuba Confidential and coeditor of Fidel Castro's Prison Letters

William Morgan, an American who made his way to the front line of Castro's revolution in Cuba, gets thorough and entertaining treatment in this biography. Largely unknown in the U.S., his story is filled with the suspense of a blockbuster war movie, offering new and insightful perspective into the political climate of 1950s Cuba . . . [turns] the intriguing story of one man into a thoughtful examination of 20th-century Cuban history. -- Publishers Weekly (starred review) on The Americano The Americano's strength lies in explaining how the three anti-Batista forces constantly jockeyed for supremacy and influence. . . . Shetterly nicely weaves FBI, CIA and State Department files on Morgan into his narrative. -- Washington Post Book World on The Americano Reads like a great epic novel -- Carlos Eire, winner of the 2003 National Book Award for nonfiction, Waiting for Snow in Havana, on The Americano A compelling history of one of the most intriguing characters and mysteries of the Cuban Revolution. -- Ann Louise Bardach, author of Cuba Confidential and coeditor of Fidel Castro's Prison Letters, on The Americano

Morningside is a riveting account of a critical chapter in our nation's racial history. Aran Shetterly takes us along for a wild ride -- Nelson and Joyce Johnson's decades -- long struggle to achieve justice for America's poor and marginalized who are living on the 'outskirts of hope.' From the Klan's deadly ambush, to the quest for truth and reconciliation, to the building of beloved community, the Johnson's story is an essential -- and moving -- lesson in the courage it takes to transform tragedy and despair into resilience and hope, all in the pursuit of justice."" -- --Michelle Alexander, author of The New Jim Crow In this brilliant investigative deep dive, historian Shetterly (The Americano) revisits the 1979 slaying of five radical Black activists by the KKK during an anti-Klan protest in Greensboro, N.C. The Klansmen who fired on the protest were acquitted--they alleged self-defense, though surviving activists maintained their group had not been armed, a fact that Shetterly carefully pieces together evidence to confirm...Propulsive and precise, this brings into startling focus the freewheeling world of law enforcement's Cold War-era anticommunist crusade. -- Publishers Weekly (starred review) Journalist Shetterly (The Americano: Fighting With Castro for Cuba's Freedom) offers an exhaustive and authoritative rendering of the murderous attack by Klansmen and neo-Nazis that killed five participants at an anti-Klan rally on Nov. 3, 1979, A must for anyone interested in the history of race and social structure in the United States. -- Kirkus Reviews ""Aran Shetterly's incredible book offers a harrowing reminder of how our justice system too often turns a blind eye to the perpetrators of racial violence while denying their victims blind justice."" -- Michelle Coles, former USDOJ civil rights attorney, Maryland Lynching Truth and Reconciliation Commissioner, and author of Black Was the Ink ""William Morgan, an American who made his way to the front line of Castro's revolution in Cuba, gets thorough and entertaining treatment in this biography. Largely unknown in the U.S., his story is filled with the suspense of a blockbuster war movie, offering new and insightful perspective into the political climate of 1950s Cuba . . . [turns] the intriguing story of one man into a thoughtful examination of 20th-century Cuban history."" -- Publishers Weekly (starred review) on The Americano ""The Americano's strength lies in explaining how the three anti-Batista forces constantly jockeyed for supremacy and influence. . . . Shetterly nicely weaves FBI, CIA and State Department files on Morgan into his narrative."" -- Washington Post Book World on The Americano ""Reads like a great epic novel"" -- Carlos Eire, winner of the 2003 National Book Award for nonfiction, Waiting for Snow in Havana, on The Americano ""A compelling history of one of the most intriguing characters and mysteries of the Cuban Revolution."" -- Ann Louise Bardach, author of Cuba Confidential and coeditor of Fidel Castro's Prison Letters, on The Americano

Author Information

Aran Shetterly is a writer, editor, and narrative historian. He is the author of the critically acclaimed The Americano: Fighting with Castro for Cuba's Freedom, the founder of the Mexico City-based magazine, Inside Mexico, and a member of the board of the Americans Who Tell the Truth organization. He has received numerous fellowships, including the Virginia Humanities Fellowship and the 2019 National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship. Aran holds a BA in literature from Harvard College, and an MA in American Studies. He currently he lives in Charlottesville, Virginia, with his son and wife, the New York Times bestselling author Margot Lee Shetterly.

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