2012/11/01 by Stephen R. Haynes · 1 citation
Social Sciences · #American Constitutional Law and Politics
paper · doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195395051.001.0001
openalex publication_date 2012/11/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29
On Palm Sunday 1964, at Second Presbyterian Church in Memphis, a group of black and white students began a “kneel-in” to protest the church's policy of segregation, a protest that would continue in one form or another for more than a year and eventually force the church to open its doors to black worshippers. This book tells the story of this dramatic yet little studied tactic, which was the strategy of choice for bringing attention to segregationist policies in Southern churches. “Kneel-ins” involved surprise visits to targeted churches, usually during Easter season, and often resulted in physical standoffs with resistant church people. The spectacle of kneeling worshippers barred from entering churches made for a powerful image that invited both local and national media attention. Drawing on a wide range of sources, including extensive interviews with the students who led non-violent protests against church segregation and church people who witnessed these protests, the book tells the story of the Memphis kneel-ins and their legacy, including ongoing efforts at truth-telling and reconciliation on the part the churches that were the targets of kneel-in protests during the 1960s.