Witness to the Truth: John H. Scott's Struggle for Human Rights in Louisiana

By John H. Scott and Cleo Scott Brown

Book Overview

Witness to the Truth tells the extraordinary life story of a grassroots human rights leader and his courageous campaign to win the right to vote for the African Americans of Lake Providence, Louisiana. Born in 1901 in a small, almost all-black parish, John H. Scott grew up in a community where black businesses, schools, and neighborhoods thrived in isolation from the white population. The settlement appeared self-sufficient and independent-but all was not as it seemed. From Reconstruction until the 1960s, African Americans still were not allowed to register and vote. Scott, a minister and farmer, proceeded to redress this inequality. Ultimately convincing Attorney General Robert Kennedy to participate in his crusade, Scott led a twenty-five year struggle that graphically illustrates how persistent efforts by local citizens translated into a national movement.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 157003818X
• ISBN13: 9781570038181
• Release Date: July 2008
• Publisher: University of South Carolina Press
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 1.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.9" x 8.7"