African American Studies Commons^™

Standing On Unstable Grounds: A Reexamination Of The Wlbt-Tv Case, Steven Classen

Faculty Publications - Department of Communication and Cinematic Arts

In 1962, the "Jackson Nonviolent Movement" began to change business as usual in Mississippi. The upstart organization, comprised largely of local teens, targeted prominent Jackson businesses, demanding that basic employment and consumer rights be extended to African Americans. They insisted that the segregation, degradation, and physical abuse grimly familiar to black consumers in the white marketplace be confronted and addressed. In the spring, when a pregnant African-American mother was verbally and physically assaulted by a white grocer, the Movement called a church meeting, distributed leaflets, and led a successful boycott against the store. Months later, this strategy was reemployed with …