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The Long Haul: An Autobiography
In his own direct, modest, plain-spoken style, Myles Horton tells the story of the Highlander Folk School. A major catalyst for social change in the United States for more than 70 years, this school has touched the lives of so many people, including Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Pete Seeger. Filled with disarmingly honest insight and gentle humor, The Long Haul is an inspiring hymn to the possibility of social change. It is the story of Myles Horton, in his own the wise and moving recollections of a man of uncommon determination and vision.
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1990
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 86 reviews
January 15, 2017
The stories in this book are beautiful, rich, and pushed my thinking in many ways. Truly, everyone should read this book. But it taught me much more: The more I read people's stories/theories/etc, I'm learning to appreciate complexities/contradictions/changes in people and in figures - Myles Horton's quote, to me, is exactly that ("...my ideas have changed and are constantly changing and should change and that I'm as proud of my inconsistencies as I am my consistencies.") Schooling taught me to engage with text many times to find the "hero" of the text - almost to the point of no critical analysis. I'm learning to stop looking for the perfect person/theory/answer for it all, & appreciate complexity. It's an unlearning process, and Horton's book has been monumental in helping me work toward this. As he says, "Goals are unattainable in the sense that they always grow."
March 2, 2023
The man gets 5 stars. The book gets 4. This was truly inspiring.
April 4, 2021
Knocked off one star for a bit of repetitiveness, but highly recommended for a history of progressive movement work and the origins of the idea--now embraced in social justice circles--that the people who are most affected by an issue are the ones who should guide the work on that issue. Even if you're not interested in social movements, there's a lot of outstanding educational philosophy in here, especially for people (like me) who a lot of history with (and perhaps entrenchment in) academia. I dog-eared LOTS of pages.
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June 16, 2020In The Long Haul , Myles Horton talks about his life leading up to the founding of the Highlander Folk School and on through Horton’s role in the labor movement and the civil rights movement. The Highlander is a popular education center in the Appalachian Mountains (it still exists under the name Highlander Research and Education Center) that was founded in 1932. I found Myles Horton’s perspective as an activist from a previous generation, as an educator, and as a driven but down-to-earth person thoroughly enlightening. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in U.S. history, education for empowerment, or social movements.
Although the book doesn’t talk about technology, there are many parallels. In fact, just the other day I was talking to my grandfather who is having great difficulty learning to use an electric typewriter (he wasn’t willing to jump all the way to a computer) and he told me that he pushes too hard all the time and out come five j’s or three extra a’s. His experience is a little bit like one Horton tells. The Highlander Folk School, Horton’s Appalachian Education Center, had helped start literacy classes on the Gullah island. The students who had been working on farms all their lives kept snapping the pencils because they were used to using farm tools. Horton’s solution was to make lots and lots of pencils available so the students wouldn’t feel embarrassed or under pressure to keep practicing. I think this idea of giving our students plenty of opportunity to mess up and not feel embarrassed about it is a good lesson no matter what the context.
There were a couple other important things that I brought away from the book that also might inform the work I do at Casa de Esperanza. At one point, Horton outlines a list of elements that formed the basis of Highlander’s learning philosophy. They included: peer learning, freedom from exams, non-vocational training, and a highly motivating purpose. These are elements that I hope to keep at the forefront of my work teaching technology. I want to make sure that teaching computers becomes part of the learning process for people I work with. Of course there are no exams and I also want to make sure that the uses are clear to them and can be added to as they imagine new ways to use technology in their lives in both vocational and non-vocational ways.
Hmm . . . there are many other things I could write about but I will close this book report with several quotes from the book that I highlighted. They remind me to always strive to be more creative in my work:
“Song, music, and food are integral parts of education at Highlander.”
“One thing I have learned about bureaucracies is that although they are not made up of evil people, they can do something bad to good people.”
“It is only in a movement that an idea is often made simple enough and direct enough that it can spread rapidly. Then your leadership multiplies very rapidly, because there’s something explosive going on.”
Although the book doesn’t talk about technology, there are many parallels. In fact, just the other day I was talking to my grandfather who is having great difficulty learning to use an electric typewriter (he wasn’t willing to jump all the way to a computer) and he told me that he pushes too hard all the time and out come five j’s or three extra a’s. His experience is a little bit like one Horton tells. The Highlander Folk School, Horton’s Appalachian Education Center, had helped start literacy classes on the Gullah island. The students who had been working on farms all their lives kept snapping the pencils because they were used to using farm tools. Horton’s solution was to make lots and lots of pencils available so the students wouldn’t feel embarrassed or under pressure to keep practicing. I think this idea of giving our students plenty of opportunity to mess up and not feel embarrassed about it is a good lesson no matter what the context.
There were a couple other important things that I brought away from the book that also might inform the work I do at Casa de Esperanza. At one point, Horton outlines a list of elements that formed the basis of Highlander’s learning philosophy. They included: peer learning, freedom from exams, non-vocational training, and a highly motivating purpose. These are elements that I hope to keep at the forefront of my work teaching technology. I want to make sure that teaching computers becomes part of the learning process for people I work with. Of course there are no exams and I also want to make sure that the uses are clear to them and can be added to as they imagine new ways to use technology in their lives in both vocational and non-vocational ways.
Hmm . . . there are many other things I could write about but I will close this book report with several quotes from the book that I highlighted. They remind me to always strive to be more creative in my work:
“Song, music, and food are integral parts of education at Highlander.”
“One thing I have learned about bureaucracies is that although they are not made up of evil people, they can do something bad to good people.”
“It is only in a movement that an idea is often made simple enough and direct enough that it can spread rapidly. Then your leadership multiplies very rapidly, because there’s something explosive going on.”
March 11, 2019
Fantastic book. It's an autobiography by Myles Horton, but it's an excellent narrative of the history of the Highlander Folk School, as well as the transition process to the current Highlander Center, and the work they were doing all the way up through the 1980s.
Horton seems very forthcoming in his description of his education, his work with Reinhold Niebuhr, and his activism and organizing with the YMCA, the CIO, and SNCC, as well as various other union projects. It's very well written, and written in a style that matches someone like Horton, direct and clear, but he's going to make you work for the valuable idea.
He expresses a lot of his convictions about education, but I was disappointed there were not more specific sections discussing how this or that curriculum was developed, or what a workshop day would be like. I suppose Horton doesn't feel those things are important as his pedagogy is pretty clearly to let the students do their thing. Once you get them speaking and interacting, your role as an instructor is to step away.
Great book I highly recommend if you want to learn about Horton's teaching philosophy, his educational outlook, his historical encounters with figures such as Martin Luther King, Jr. or Saul Alinsky, and great narratives of activism and organizing that teach his principles of engagement. Fantastic book!
Horton seems very forthcoming in his description of his education, his work with Reinhold Niebuhr, and his activism and organizing with the YMCA, the CIO, and SNCC, as well as various other union projects. It's very well written, and written in a style that matches someone like Horton, direct and clear, but he's going to make you work for the valuable idea.
He expresses a lot of his convictions about education, but I was disappointed there were not more specific sections discussing how this or that curriculum was developed, or what a workshop day would be like. I suppose Horton doesn't feel those things are important as his pedagogy is pretty clearly to let the students do their thing. Once you get them speaking and interacting, your role as an instructor is to step away.
Great book I highly recommend if you want to learn about Horton's teaching philosophy, his educational outlook, his historical encounters with figures such as Martin Luther King, Jr. or Saul Alinsky, and great narratives of activism and organizing that teach his principles of engagement. Fantastic book!
October 2, 2023
Myles Horton is in my estimation the paradigmatic example of what a white man should be; it's a shame he isn't more widely known, and his work (and this book!) more widely read. I'm grateful to the Kohls for taking the time/effort to chronicle his story in his own words.
I really enjoyed reading him: he has a gift for story, for simple language, packaged in a deeply compelling moral vision. Many of the conclusions I've reached at this stage in my life he also reached; I found lots of synergy. I enjoyed learning more about myself through his prism... and paying particular attention to the points of difference. A few things I'll be sitting with:
1) I really enjoyed and found provocative his thoughts on nonviolence (around page 38): his description and the work of Kazu Haga are the closest I've found to my own convictions on the subject
2) I disagree with him about charismatic leadership (discussion on page 120). He's rightfully skeptical of charismatic leadership, seeing it as a temptation to power. Right. To me the answer is not to eschew it, but to find ways to navigate that tension, to find support to resist that temptation, to stay in right relationship without shrinking from responsibility. I agree we shouldn't trust ourselves alone... but we're not alone. We work together, and together I think we can navigate that challenge.
3) I work with a concept I call "I, We, World" that suggests that change/transformation is interdependent at every level of scale. And while I deeply respect Myles' commitment to justice and to combatting injustice, he never quite locates himself in the struggle in a way that I find satisfying. What's in it for him? How is he liberating himself in this work? I agree with a life of service... but that service has to also be of service to ourselves.
4) While I deeply respect (and share) his anti-capitalist leanings, I think he still retained more of an oppositional stance than I find appealing. To me a true understanding of our systems of oppression recognizes that they conscript all of us, and we are all complicit to different degrees... and therefore we all stand to benefit from liberation. Because his life was organized around working people and class-based politics, I don't think he understood or gave much thought to how a wealthy capitalist might benefit from liberation... to me there is more work to do there.
I'm heartened by his example, and dismayed that 90 years after he founded Highlander we still haven't found sustainable ways to work in deep multiracial solidarity... particularly across the black/white divide. He was a rare figure... and so were the Black people who trusted him and did the work to show up in solidarity.
Some quotes that resonated with me:
Myles Horton Long Haul
x if you ever get to the place where Injustice doesn't bother you, you're dead
xx "two-eye" theory of teaching. he keeps one eye on where people are, and one eye on where they can be-- forever pushing, making them uncomfortable, stretching their minds, helping them grow in their understanding and critical consciousness
the goal is not reform or adjustment to an unjust society, but the transformation of society.
xxi Myles insists that until people take some risks and gain some independence from the system, they are not free to learn or to act. as people try to be part of the decision-making process, they discovered that learning about democracy involves working to replace, transform and rebuild society to allow for equal participation
7 when you work toward equality, you have to devise some kind of structure in which there can be justice, but in the meantime you have to do the best you can in an unjust society
8 to make these things function, you have to trust that people have the capacity to live that way and to achieve that kind of society
you have to trust in people, and you have to work through it to the place where people respond to that trust. then you have to believe that people have the capacity within themselves to develop the ability to govern themselves
16 you learn what you do, and not what you talk about
if you want to change people's ideas, you shouldn't try to convince them intellectually. will you need to do is get them into a situation where they'll have to act on ideas, not argue about them
26 from Jesus and the prophets I had learned about the importance of loving people, The importance of being a revolutionary, standing up and saying that this system is unjust. Jesus to me was a person who had the vision to project to society in which people would be equally respected, in which property would be shared; he was a person who said you have to love your enemies, you have to love the people who despise you.
27 I'd like to see a world where you can really love your enemies, where you can really care for people, a humane world. I don't live in that kind of a world, but I want to help create one like it
to make life worth living you have to believe in those things that will bring about Justice and society, and be willing to die for them
28 if you're trying to change things, first you have to know that violence can be used against you, and second, you have to know what strategies to use in order to change the system, given that situation
30 rage wouldn't disappear as long as there was any Injustice left anywhere (different from anger)
I discarded utopian communities as escapist
that's where I changed and became philosophically a socialist. I understood that you couldn't act alone, and that you couldn't withdraw into utopian community. to deal with injustice you had to act in the world
35 I was moral and society was immoral
38 discussion about non-violence and violence, not simple, because it's a question of deciding which types of violence to tolerate, example of murder of Barney Graham
41 you can't use Force to put ideas in people's heads. education must be nonviolent
42 I don't use or advocate violence, but that's not to say that I can't imagine situations in which violence is necessary
43 anything really worth doing had to be done with other people, and to do it with other people you had to understand the social and economic forces
44 only people with hope will struggle. the people who are hopeless are grist for the fascist Mill
if people are suffering... if they can see a path that leads to a solution, a path that makes sense to them and is consistent with their beliefs and their experience, then they'll move. they've got to know the direction in which they are going and have a general idea of the kind of society that like to have. if they don't have hope, they don't even look for a path. they look for somebody else to do it for them
45 you can't make me do something that I don't want to do. ultimately, you've got to take the responsibility for your own decisions. it boils down to that
47 learning which came from a group effort was Superior to learning achieved through individual efforts
49 quoting Jane Addams on the definition of democracy "it means people have the right to make decisions"
I understood the need for organizations, but I was always afraid of what they did to people
50 Rosa Parks said miles was the first white person she ever trusted
51 Danish folk School founder gruntvig believed that people would find their identity not within themselves but in relationship with others. he also believed that through songs and poetry, students could grasp truths that might otherwise escape them, and that singing in unison was an effective way of inspiring people and bringing them closer together
55 the way to get started was to start
57 if you're going to work with small groups and your aim is to change society... you have to work with those people who can multiply what you do... you have to think in terms of which small groups have the potential to multiply themselves and fundamentally change society
you learn from your experience of doing something and from your analysis of that experience
59 you can't talk a technical language that's only understood among certain people if you're going to be with the masses of people
65 I've always been afraid of overstructuring things because I've seen the spirit of organizations killed by rigidity
68 one of the best ways of educating people is to give them an experience that embodies what you were trying to teach. when you Believe in a democratic society, you provide a setting for education that is democratic
69 as long as we kept on learning, we could share that learning. when we stopped learning ourselves, then we could no longer help anyone
70 we've got to learn a nonverbal language to be able to understand the people, because they're not going to put in writing
71 you have to ask yourself what you know about their experience and cultural background that would help in understanding what they're saying. you need to know more about them than they know about themselves. this sounds like a paradox, but the reason they don't know themselves fully is that they haven't learned to analyze their experience and learn from it
79 until people feel exploited and able to do something about it, they are not going to make structural changes
80 I had to turn my anger into a slow burning fire instead of a consuming fire. you don't want the fire to go out - you never let it go out -- but you don't let it burn you up
81 the revolution had to be built step by step... it had to be made or it wouldn't happen
95 only action would change people's attitudes toward one another
100 the only reason problems seem complicated is that you don't understand them well enough to make them simple
102 I don't think it's right to experiment with people when you can work out a hypothesis in your head
103 she gave priority to their immediate interests so they could experience the usefulness and joy of learning
105 on Bernice Robinson figuring out the citizenship schools. she just got it from common sense, from her own intelligence analysis of the situation, from loving people and caring for them and, above all, from respecting people and dealing with them as they are
114 it's only in a movement that an idea is often made simple enough and direct enough that it can spread rapidly
you can't make progress without pain, because you can't make progress without provoking violent opposition
120 The only problem I have with movements has to do with my reservations about charismatic leaders. there's something about having one that can keep democracy from working effectively. but we don't have movements without them
122 I was being tempted by the power that comes from charisma
you don't just tell people something; you find a way to use situations to educate them so that they can learn to figure things out themselves
127 talking to Martin Luther King quote you are so much the powerful leader that it's hard for people who work with you to have a role they can grow in. you could spend time making real under the tree and developing other leaders to take on some of the responsibilities
there is another important thing to do: they radicize people... I'm talking about what happens to people who, through an experience of being part of a social movement, understand that they must change the system
129 people were forced to adjust their minds to what they had to do. And their hearts came poking along later (it's not about changing hearts and minds, it's about creating a situation that requires people to change behavior)
130 I have a holistic view of the educative process... instead of thinking that you put pieces together that will add up to a whole, I think you have to start with the premise that they're already together and you try to keep from destroying life by segmenting it, overorganizing it, dehumanizing it. you try to keep things together.
131 when you're a holist... you hurt with everybody in pain
if you believe in democracy, you have to believe that people have the capacity within themselves to develop the ability to govern themselves
you have to build a program that will deal with things as they are now and as they ought to be at the same time
you have to start where people are, because their growth is going to be from there
how do I start moving them from where they perceive themselves to be, to where I know they can be if they work with other people and develop?
132 I've got to remind myself constantly that they're not all they can be
133 My job is to try to provide opportunities for people to grow (not to make them grow because no one can do that) to provide a climate which nurtures islands of decency, where people can learn in such a way that they continue to grow
people have a potential for growth... what people need are experiences in democracy, in making Democratic decisions that affect their lives and communities
134 given genuine decision making powers, people will not only learn rapidly to make socially useful decisions, but they will also assume responsibility for carrying out decisions based on their collective judgment
137 you just continue to build on people's own experience; it is the basis for their learning
you have to make decisions that everybody can live with. The decisions have to be on that level-- universal
138 what is essential is that people get the practice of making decisions and that they come to know they should consciously make them at every point
139 I do not believe it in neutrality. neutrality is just another word for accepting the status quo as universal law. you either choose to go along with the way things are, or you reject the status quo
142 We learn to do by doing, we learn to make decisions by making decisions
146 The bureaucratic system is an inevitable disease that afflicts all organizations and governments. often it is spread by good people who are made to do bad things-- or less than good things --because of their separation from the people who were the original source of their power
147 you can't develop any valuable leadership if you don't teach people that they can deal with big problems. at Highlander we wanted people to deal with how to change society, not with smaller issues
148 the knowledge needed for the solution has to be created
149 Rosa Parks speaking about her experience at Highlander: I found out for the first time in my adult life that this could be a unified society, that there was such a thing as people of different races and backgrounds meeting together... and living together in peace and harmony... I gained there the strength to persevere in my work for freedom, not just for blacks, but for all oppressed people
150 I think of an educational workshop as a circle of learners... The job of the staff members is to create a relaxed atmosphere in which the participants feel free to share their experiences
153 recruiting for workshops as a circular process, because once you are established as being useful, people who have valued the workshop experience always want to introduce others to it
155 on the importance of boundaries Highlander workshops have been guided by two principles: nobody can be discriminated against, for any reason, and there is freedom to say anything or take any position on the topic of the workshop (free speech, but must pertain to purpose)
157 our desire is to empower people collectively, not individually
158 song, music and food are integral parts of education at Highlander. music is one way for people to express their traditions, longings and determination
169 democracy needs to be not only political but part of the fabric of society as a whole... it is a philosophical concept meaning that people are really free and empowered to make collectively the decisions that affect their lives
in a democracy there can't be individual decisions that run counter to the welfare of other people
171 unless you deal with world capitalism-- transnationalism-- the decisions you make are going to be very limited
172 for democracy to be truly effective, and had to penetrate all parts of people's lives, providing them with a say about everything that was affecting them
you have to have democracy right down into the home and into children's lives
174 we've got to preserve the right to demonstrate and to speak because you can never change society if the doors of discussion are closed. you don't ever want to set the precedent of banning freedom of expression
to have democracy, you must have a society in which decision-making is real, and that means replacing, transforming and rebuilding society so as to allow for people to make decisions that affect their lives.
176 if you don't push to the place where you might fail, you've missed a wonderful opportunity to learn to struggle, to think big and challenge the status quo, and also to learn how to deal with failure.
this is predicated on learning from analyzing your experience. an experience you don't learn from is just a happening
178 on Saul alinsky : what made him such a good organizer was his tremendous sense of humor, his brilliance and his utter disregard for what anybody said about him
you don't try to imitate people who know more than you. you try to learn from them
180 my position was that if I had to make a choice between achieving an objective and utilizing the struggle to develop and radicalized people, my choice would be to let the goal go and develop the people
when I look at a situation in order to decide whether to work with an organization, it's essential to consider whether that organization is moving towards structural reform or limited reform. if it's moving towards structural reform, I'll work with that organization. if it's just limited reform, I would hesitate, because I don't think valuable learning comes out of winning little victories, unless they are calculated steps toward the large goal and will lead to structural reforms
183 it's dangerous to do this kind of education, to push the boundaries to the place where people might be fired or getting some other kind of trouble... if people don't take chances and they'll never keep pushing ... people get the exhilaration of deliberating themselves, pushing that boundary line until they push it to the place with their challenged, and they either have to back off or go further
184 I think that people aren't fully free until they're in a struggle for justice
l Don't think you help people by keeping them enslaved to something that is less than they are capable of doing and believing
187 if you aren't afraid to die for your cause, the nobody can get at you... That's what liberation is, being willing to die for what you believe in... if you're afraid to die, then you're afraid to live. so you don't really live if you're not free
More in comments...
I really enjoyed reading him: he has a gift for story, for simple language, packaged in a deeply compelling moral vision. Many of the conclusions I've reached at this stage in my life he also reached; I found lots of synergy. I enjoyed learning more about myself through his prism... and paying particular attention to the points of difference. A few things I'll be sitting with:
1) I really enjoyed and found provocative his thoughts on nonviolence (around page 38): his description and the work of Kazu Haga are the closest I've found to my own convictions on the subject
2) I disagree with him about charismatic leadership (discussion on page 120). He's rightfully skeptical of charismatic leadership, seeing it as a temptation to power. Right. To me the answer is not to eschew it, but to find ways to navigate that tension, to find support to resist that temptation, to stay in right relationship without shrinking from responsibility. I agree we shouldn't trust ourselves alone... but we're not alone. We work together, and together I think we can navigate that challenge.
3) I work with a concept I call "I, We, World" that suggests that change/transformation is interdependent at every level of scale. And while I deeply respect Myles' commitment to justice and to combatting injustice, he never quite locates himself in the struggle in a way that I find satisfying. What's in it for him? How is he liberating himself in this work? I agree with a life of service... but that service has to also be of service to ourselves.
4) While I deeply respect (and share) his anti-capitalist leanings, I think he still retained more of an oppositional stance than I find appealing. To me a true understanding of our systems of oppression recognizes that they conscript all of us, and we are all complicit to different degrees... and therefore we all stand to benefit from liberation. Because his life was organized around working people and class-based politics, I don't think he understood or gave much thought to how a wealthy capitalist might benefit from liberation... to me there is more work to do there.
I'm heartened by his example, and dismayed that 90 years after he founded Highlander we still haven't found sustainable ways to work in deep multiracial solidarity... particularly across the black/white divide. He was a rare figure... and so were the Black people who trusted him and did the work to show up in solidarity.
Some quotes that resonated with me:
Myles Horton Long Haul
x if you ever get to the place where Injustice doesn't bother you, you're dead
xx "two-eye" theory of teaching. he keeps one eye on where people are, and one eye on where they can be-- forever pushing, making them uncomfortable, stretching their minds, helping them grow in their understanding and critical consciousness
the goal is not reform or adjustment to an unjust society, but the transformation of society.
xxi Myles insists that until people take some risks and gain some independence from the system, they are not free to learn or to act. as people try to be part of the decision-making process, they discovered that learning about democracy involves working to replace, transform and rebuild society to allow for equal participation
7 when you work toward equality, you have to devise some kind of structure in which there can be justice, but in the meantime you have to do the best you can in an unjust society
8 to make these things function, you have to trust that people have the capacity to live that way and to achieve that kind of society
you have to trust in people, and you have to work through it to the place where people respond to that trust. then you have to believe that people have the capacity within themselves to develop the ability to govern themselves
16 you learn what you do, and not what you talk about
if you want to change people's ideas, you shouldn't try to convince them intellectually. will you need to do is get them into a situation where they'll have to act on ideas, not argue about them
26 from Jesus and the prophets I had learned about the importance of loving people, The importance of being a revolutionary, standing up and saying that this system is unjust. Jesus to me was a person who had the vision to project to society in which people would be equally respected, in which property would be shared; he was a person who said you have to love your enemies, you have to love the people who despise you.
27 I'd like to see a world where you can really love your enemies, where you can really care for people, a humane world. I don't live in that kind of a world, but I want to help create one like it
to make life worth living you have to believe in those things that will bring about Justice and society, and be willing to die for them
28 if you're trying to change things, first you have to know that violence can be used against you, and second, you have to know what strategies to use in order to change the system, given that situation
30 rage wouldn't disappear as long as there was any Injustice left anywhere (different from anger)
I discarded utopian communities as escapist
that's where I changed and became philosophically a socialist. I understood that you couldn't act alone, and that you couldn't withdraw into utopian community. to deal with injustice you had to act in the world
35 I was moral and society was immoral
38 discussion about non-violence and violence, not simple, because it's a question of deciding which types of violence to tolerate, example of murder of Barney Graham
41 you can't use Force to put ideas in people's heads. education must be nonviolent
42 I don't use or advocate violence, but that's not to say that I can't imagine situations in which violence is necessary
43 anything really worth doing had to be done with other people, and to do it with other people you had to understand the social and economic forces
44 only people with hope will struggle. the people who are hopeless are grist for the fascist Mill
if people are suffering... if they can see a path that leads to a solution, a path that makes sense to them and is consistent with their beliefs and their experience, then they'll move. they've got to know the direction in which they are going and have a general idea of the kind of society that like to have. if they don't have hope, they don't even look for a path. they look for somebody else to do it for them
45 you can't make me do something that I don't want to do. ultimately, you've got to take the responsibility for your own decisions. it boils down to that
47 learning which came from a group effort was Superior to learning achieved through individual efforts
49 quoting Jane Addams on the definition of democracy "it means people have the right to make decisions"
I understood the need for organizations, but I was always afraid of what they did to people
50 Rosa Parks said miles was the first white person she ever trusted
51 Danish folk School founder gruntvig believed that people would find their identity not within themselves but in relationship with others. he also believed that through songs and poetry, students could grasp truths that might otherwise escape them, and that singing in unison was an effective way of inspiring people and bringing them closer together
55 the way to get started was to start
57 if you're going to work with small groups and your aim is to change society... you have to work with those people who can multiply what you do... you have to think in terms of which small groups have the potential to multiply themselves and fundamentally change society
you learn from your experience of doing something and from your analysis of that experience
59 you can't talk a technical language that's only understood among certain people if you're going to be with the masses of people
65 I've always been afraid of overstructuring things because I've seen the spirit of organizations killed by rigidity
68 one of the best ways of educating people is to give them an experience that embodies what you were trying to teach. when you Believe in a democratic society, you provide a setting for education that is democratic
69 as long as we kept on learning, we could share that learning. when we stopped learning ourselves, then we could no longer help anyone
70 we've got to learn a nonverbal language to be able to understand the people, because they're not going to put in writing
71 you have to ask yourself what you know about their experience and cultural background that would help in understanding what they're saying. you need to know more about them than they know about themselves. this sounds like a paradox, but the reason they don't know themselves fully is that they haven't learned to analyze their experience and learn from it
79 until people feel exploited and able to do something about it, they are not going to make structural changes
80 I had to turn my anger into a slow burning fire instead of a consuming fire. you don't want the fire to go out - you never let it go out -- but you don't let it burn you up
81 the revolution had to be built step by step... it had to be made or it wouldn't happen
95 only action would change people's attitudes toward one another
100 the only reason problems seem complicated is that you don't understand them well enough to make them simple
102 I don't think it's right to experiment with people when you can work out a hypothesis in your head
103 she gave priority to their immediate interests so they could experience the usefulness and joy of learning
105 on Bernice Robinson figuring out the citizenship schools. she just got it from common sense, from her own intelligence analysis of the situation, from loving people and caring for them and, above all, from respecting people and dealing with them as they are
114 it's only in a movement that an idea is often made simple enough and direct enough that it can spread rapidly
you can't make progress without pain, because you can't make progress without provoking violent opposition
120 The only problem I have with movements has to do with my reservations about charismatic leaders. there's something about having one that can keep democracy from working effectively. but we don't have movements without them
122 I was being tempted by the power that comes from charisma
you don't just tell people something; you find a way to use situations to educate them so that they can learn to figure things out themselves
127 talking to Martin Luther King quote you are so much the powerful leader that it's hard for people who work with you to have a role they can grow in. you could spend time making real under the tree and developing other leaders to take on some of the responsibilities
there is another important thing to do: they radicize people... I'm talking about what happens to people who, through an experience of being part of a social movement, understand that they must change the system
129 people were forced to adjust their minds to what they had to do. And their hearts came poking along later (it's not about changing hearts and minds, it's about creating a situation that requires people to change behavior)
130 I have a holistic view of the educative process... instead of thinking that you put pieces together that will add up to a whole, I think you have to start with the premise that they're already together and you try to keep from destroying life by segmenting it, overorganizing it, dehumanizing it. you try to keep things together.
131 when you're a holist... you hurt with everybody in pain
if you believe in democracy, you have to believe that people have the capacity within themselves to develop the ability to govern themselves
you have to build a program that will deal with things as they are now and as they ought to be at the same time
you have to start where people are, because their growth is going to be from there
how do I start moving them from where they perceive themselves to be, to where I know they can be if they work with other people and develop?
132 I've got to remind myself constantly that they're not all they can be
133 My job is to try to provide opportunities for people to grow (not to make them grow because no one can do that) to provide a climate which nurtures islands of decency, where people can learn in such a way that they continue to grow
people have a potential for growth... what people need are experiences in democracy, in making Democratic decisions that affect their lives and communities
134 given genuine decision making powers, people will not only learn rapidly to make socially useful decisions, but they will also assume responsibility for carrying out decisions based on their collective judgment
137 you just continue to build on people's own experience; it is the basis for their learning
you have to make decisions that everybody can live with. The decisions have to be on that level-- universal
138 what is essential is that people get the practice of making decisions and that they come to know they should consciously make them at every point
139 I do not believe it in neutrality. neutrality is just another word for accepting the status quo as universal law. you either choose to go along with the way things are, or you reject the status quo
142 We learn to do by doing, we learn to make decisions by making decisions
146 The bureaucratic system is an inevitable disease that afflicts all organizations and governments. often it is spread by good people who are made to do bad things-- or less than good things --because of their separation from the people who were the original source of their power
147 you can't develop any valuable leadership if you don't teach people that they can deal with big problems. at Highlander we wanted people to deal with how to change society, not with smaller issues
148 the knowledge needed for the solution has to be created
149 Rosa Parks speaking about her experience at Highlander: I found out for the first time in my adult life that this could be a unified society, that there was such a thing as people of different races and backgrounds meeting together... and living together in peace and harmony... I gained there the strength to persevere in my work for freedom, not just for blacks, but for all oppressed people
150 I think of an educational workshop as a circle of learners... The job of the staff members is to create a relaxed atmosphere in which the participants feel free to share their experiences
153 recruiting for workshops as a circular process, because once you are established as being useful, people who have valued the workshop experience always want to introduce others to it
155 on the importance of boundaries Highlander workshops have been guided by two principles: nobody can be discriminated against, for any reason, and there is freedom to say anything or take any position on the topic of the workshop (free speech, but must pertain to purpose)
157 our desire is to empower people collectively, not individually
158 song, music and food are integral parts of education at Highlander. music is one way for people to express their traditions, longings and determination
169 democracy needs to be not only political but part of the fabric of society as a whole... it is a philosophical concept meaning that people are really free and empowered to make collectively the decisions that affect their lives
in a democracy there can't be individual decisions that run counter to the welfare of other people
171 unless you deal with world capitalism-- transnationalism-- the decisions you make are going to be very limited
172 for democracy to be truly effective, and had to penetrate all parts of people's lives, providing them with a say about everything that was affecting them
you have to have democracy right down into the home and into children's lives
174 we've got to preserve the right to demonstrate and to speak because you can never change society if the doors of discussion are closed. you don't ever want to set the precedent of banning freedom of expression
to have democracy, you must have a society in which decision-making is real, and that means replacing, transforming and rebuilding society so as to allow for people to make decisions that affect their lives.
176 if you don't push to the place where you might fail, you've missed a wonderful opportunity to learn to struggle, to think big and challenge the status quo, and also to learn how to deal with failure.
this is predicated on learning from analyzing your experience. an experience you don't learn from is just a happening
178 on Saul alinsky : what made him such a good organizer was his tremendous sense of humor, his brilliance and his utter disregard for what anybody said about him
you don't try to imitate people who know more than you. you try to learn from them
180 my position was that if I had to make a choice between achieving an objective and utilizing the struggle to develop and radicalized people, my choice would be to let the goal go and develop the people
when I look at a situation in order to decide whether to work with an organization, it's essential to consider whether that organization is moving towards structural reform or limited reform. if it's moving towards structural reform, I'll work with that organization. if it's just limited reform, I would hesitate, because I don't think valuable learning comes out of winning little victories, unless they are calculated steps toward the large goal and will lead to structural reforms
183 it's dangerous to do this kind of education, to push the boundaries to the place where people might be fired or getting some other kind of trouble... if people don't take chances and they'll never keep pushing ... people get the exhilaration of deliberating themselves, pushing that boundary line until they push it to the place with their challenged, and they either have to back off or go further
184 I think that people aren't fully free until they're in a struggle for justice
l Don't think you help people by keeping them enslaved to something that is less than they are capable of doing and believing
187 if you aren't afraid to die for your cause, the nobody can get at you... That's what liberation is, being willing to die for what you believe in... if you're afraid to die, then you're afraid to live. so you don't really live if you're not free
More in comments...
February 11, 2025
The biography of a democratic and revolutionary educator and the place he helped to create, the highlander center. His perspectives touched me, they entertained me and they made me think a lot about how to create a collective environment for people to learn and emancipate themselves. I loved his nature analogies and metaphors: always look at the people with two eyes, one should see them where they are right now and one should envision a path for their growing. Sometimes it was hard for me to follow, because I didn't know enough about the historical context. And I would have loved to hear more about the collective process at Highlander and how they build their relationships.
April 22, 2023
Incredible. Much to learn around education, democracy, movements and organizing.
October 5, 2024
Fascinating book!!
February 28, 2022
Fascinating and inspiring—so many great stories and examples of Horton’s life approach put into practice.
June 29, 2009
"When you work toward equality, you have to devise some kind of structure in which there can be justice, but in the meantime you have to do the best you can in an unjust society. Sometimes that means that the laws you go by are moral laws instead of book laws. It isn't too complicated to get the principles of equality and justice and love, but to make these things function, you have to trust that people have the capacity to live that way and achieve that kind of society. This is hard to do, because under present day conditions many people are untrustworthy. They are untrustworthy in a temporary sense. In the potential sense they are trustworthy, so you have to posit trust in spite of the fact that the people you're dealing with don't, on the surface, merit that trust, and they will never merit it until you have it in all people. It's the kind of thing you just have to posit: you have to have trust in people, and you have to work through it to a place where people respond to that trust. Then you have to believe that people have the capacity within themselves to develop the ability to govern themsleves."
I believe. And so I am in it for the long haul. And so this book this book this book.
I believe. And so I am in it for the long haul. And so this book this book this book.
October 21, 2017
Wow, what a book. This is definitely at the top of my list of 'essential books for organizers' now. Tells the story of Myles Horton, and the Highlander Folk School, in clear, simply, easy language. So many good lessons and reflections!
January 4, 2025
I believe this is the best book I've read in recent memory
November 27, 2018
I've known about Highlander and Myles Horton for some time, but it didn't come up during my teacher education classes. Horton didn't work in the K-12 realm and neither did he work in a formal tertiary education. He comes across as a humble person and I believe this to be true as he is always looking to the people around him. He could have taken advantage of opportunities to "brand" Highlander but again that was never his goal.
The story that stands out to me most in the book is that of Myles meeting an older black woman who told him that they had a Citizenship School down here. She said that they go out an teach people to read so they can vote. She said that she figured it out and then taught three other women to do it. Myles was behind getting Citizenship Schools set up, with a goal like that in mind.
"It's only in a movement that an idea is often made simple enough and direct enough that it can spread rapidly. Then your leadership multiplies very rapidly, because there's something explosive going on. People see that other people not so different from themselves do things that they thought could never be done. They're emboldened and challenged by that to step in the water, and once they get in the water, it's as if they've never not been there" (p. 114).
There are clear links to Freire and his practice of adult education. The two met at some point in their lives, but Freire has a larger profile, possibly because of a more direct focus on education and schooling. What this shows though is the universality of grassroots movements and the human spirit. Both men, white men, did not seek the limelight and the work they fostered has far reaching implications. It is genuinely a matter of liberatory education in the work that came out of places like Highlander. I focus on the educational aspect because that's my direct field, but this work, and this book is for anyone looking to the strength of collaborative effort in effecting real change. It is education with a life long, mile wide purpose.
The story that stands out to me most in the book is that of Myles meeting an older black woman who told him that they had a Citizenship School down here. She said that they go out an teach people to read so they can vote. She said that she figured it out and then taught three other women to do it. Myles was behind getting Citizenship Schools set up, with a goal like that in mind.
"It's only in a movement that an idea is often made simple enough and direct enough that it can spread rapidly. Then your leadership multiplies very rapidly, because there's something explosive going on. People see that other people not so different from themselves do things that they thought could never be done. They're emboldened and challenged by that to step in the water, and once they get in the water, it's as if they've never not been there" (p. 114).
There are clear links to Freire and his practice of adult education. The two met at some point in their lives, but Freire has a larger profile, possibly because of a more direct focus on education and schooling. What this shows though is the universality of grassroots movements and the human spirit. Both men, white men, did not seek the limelight and the work they fostered has far reaching implications. It is genuinely a matter of liberatory education in the work that came out of places like Highlander. I focus on the educational aspect because that's my direct field, but this work, and this book is for anyone looking to the strength of collaborative effort in effecting real change. It is education with a life long, mile wide purpose.
January 10, 2025
Myles Horton was a social activist in the 1930s and 1950s working on labor organizing and the civil rights movement. He created the “Highlander School” which was a place in the Tennessee mountains where adults could gather to learn how to organize and lead/start a movement. BUT he did not teach specific rules or approaches or tactics - he guided the people to identifying the specific issues they were having, the outcomes they wanted, and the steps to get there. His whole thing was building leadership skills so that the people could go back home and be successful. He overall seems like a good person who did a lot to help the disabused and suffering.
BUT I HATE MEMOIRS. Here’s the thing… memoirs are OG social media feeds - highly curated. They tell the story they want to tell, and they leave out all the messy bits. I found this book incredibly frustrating to read. He never once mentions having any conflicting motivations/feelings/priorities. He talks about sacrifice from the perspective of the people he is working with, but never opens up about it for himself. Was there never a time when he has to decide between… going to a strike OR going to his child’s wedding? Was there never a time when he was bedridden with appendicitis? He skips over the 1940s entirely. Did he fight in the war? Did he stay home and keep organizing? How did he feel about making one decision or the other? Those are the kinds of things that I would have like to hear about. If this book is supposed to rally the people to revolution! It needs to be relatable in the sense of how to fit in social activism into our lives, which already have a lot of components to them. It would have been helpful to me to see Myles Horton acknowledge the challenges and sacrifices, and own up to the choices he made (was he ever around for his kids? Or was he an absentee father, saving the world but never home?). I walked away from this book feeling frustrated by the presentation of all-or-nothing activism. The only way to do it is to give up everything else, but I can’t do that. So I guess no revolutions for me.
BUT I HATE MEMOIRS. Here’s the thing… memoirs are OG social media feeds - highly curated. They tell the story they want to tell, and they leave out all the messy bits. I found this book incredibly frustrating to read. He never once mentions having any conflicting motivations/feelings/priorities. He talks about sacrifice from the perspective of the people he is working with, but never opens up about it for himself. Was there never a time when he has to decide between… going to a strike OR going to his child’s wedding? Was there never a time when he was bedridden with appendicitis? He skips over the 1940s entirely. Did he fight in the war? Did he stay home and keep organizing? How did he feel about making one decision or the other? Those are the kinds of things that I would have like to hear about. If this book is supposed to rally the people to revolution! It needs to be relatable in the sense of how to fit in social activism into our lives, which already have a lot of components to them. It would have been helpful to me to see Myles Horton acknowledge the challenges and sacrifices, and own up to the choices he made (was he ever around for his kids? Or was he an absentee father, saving the world but never home?). I walked away from this book feeling frustrated by the presentation of all-or-nothing activism. The only way to do it is to give up everything else, but I can’t do that. So I guess no revolutions for me.
April 13, 2019
A fascinating & thorough tale of Myles Horton, one of the co-founders of the Highlander Folk School (forerunner to the Highlander Center, which continues to train antiracists in nonviolent direct action). Horton learned at Union Theological Seminary from Reinhold Niebuhr, who also taught Dietrich Bonhoeffer & influenced the thinking of Martin Luther King Jr. Horton established the Highlander Folk School, which became perhaps the closest place on earth to the "beloved community" that MLK longed for. MLK, Rosa Parks, John Lewis, Ralph Abernathy, Bayard Rustin, Ella Baker, Septima Clark, and countless others from the SCLC, SNCC & NAACP trained here. If you're at all interested in learning about the methods and processes that went in to building the groundwork for a successful civil rights movement, you'll find that here. When the KKK marched past the lawn surrounding the Highlander Folk School in an effort to intimidate them, 800 black & white antiracists decide to gather for a picnic and laugh at the Klansmen instead. Horton's advice when Nazis march through your town: show up "by the thousands" and flank them on either side of the street.
January 6, 2023
It seems that most of the biographies or autobiographies I have read in the past few years have been about people I had never heard of before. I had known of the Highlander Folk School as I had done some lessons in my classes on Rosa Parks, and I know she and other Civil Rights leader had been educated there, but I did not know of its founder, Myles Horton. This is a fascinating book on how he came to set up a different type of social justice school in the mountains of Tennessee. As a Southern White man, it was not what was expected from someone who was born in the early part of the 20th Century. He based the school on Danish folk schools but also emphasized local collective action growing out of trying to understand social injustices. It is a fascinating way to look at education and one I feel like I missed some during my 40 years in the regular school and teacher education systems. I wish there had been more on his family but as a model for social action through education, it is an excellent book.
November 30, 2025
This book feels like sitting around a campfire listening to inspiring stories and lessons learned from a movement/organizing elder. As the title gives away, it’s striking how much history Horton (and the Highlander Center he founded) has lived through and created/initiated in service of social movements regionally, nationally and internationally. I so appreciated how Horton writes in such an accessible way while holding such strong and principled politics, we need that deeply in our work now! I’m more grateful than ever to have spent some time at Highlander learning from their participatory and democratic approach to education and organizing that’s shaped me.
September 5, 2018
I enjoyed the first three-quarters of this book very much. A roughly-told story-- more told than written--of a fascinating member of the generation of radical Americans who came to politics during the Depression. It offers something of a birds'-eye view of a life and work that is moving and original. The last quarter was way too self-congratulatory for my taste and the struggles in discussion much too far removed from the author to be anything but a tedious recitation of international good works late in the twentieth century.
March 5, 2023
I was already a massive fan of Horton, but the clarity in his approach to participatory movement making and education in this text made for a treat. Horton’s weaving of personal experience, inability to take himself too seriously, and recollection of his hand in moment of critical social change gave me much to ponder. I particularly loved his subversive humor, using sarcasm and clap backs as tools for interpersonal transformation. A must read for anyone involved in the work of solidarity with (and the liberation of) the poor.
May 31, 2021
This is a book I shouldve read when I was younger. But I was dumber when I was younger and, well, thats how life works.
This is a great look at activism in the early civil rights era and union building in the south. Kind of a "one-mans-view" but that man allows himself to be shaped by the others around him and is really thoughtful and honest. So, good job Myles Horton.
Then end of the book did kind of drag, but the beginning was fascinating and well worth it.
This is a great look at activism in the early civil rights era and union building in the south. Kind of a "one-mans-view" but that man allows himself to be shaped by the others around him and is really thoughtful and honest. So, good job Myles Horton.
Then end of the book did kind of drag, but the beginning was fascinating and well worth it.
January 31, 2019
This book provides an easy to read overview of the life and work of a great community organizer. I appreciate that he explains his motivations and worldview.
Like some other reviews have stated, he does come across as a bit self satisfied at times, but I probably would be if I were in his shoes so I can't judge him too harshly.
Like some other reviews have stated, he does come across as a bit self satisfied at times, but I probably would be if I were in his shoes so I can't judge him too harshly.
February 22, 2020
This book is a testimony to what one person can accomplish and a roadmap or guide to social activism. I felt inspired and yet inadequate all at the same time. I wish Myles Horton were alive today, but thankful he was around when he was needed the most and that he stood by his principles. His story gives credence to the necessity for continued education and evolvement.
February 24, 2020
An autobiography told by a civil rights hero that mostly has been lesser known despite the amazing work he did including starting the Highlander Folk School. As told to Judith and Herbert Kohl. Inspiring, nice down to earth "writing", very oral sounding. Easy to read. Great anecdotal stories about his life experiences.
October 1, 2022
While the writer implies later into the book that *maybe* he was a bit of a jerk with anger issues, reading how much of a jerk he was earlier on was pretty hard to read and keep going. However, learning new things is interesting, so there are redeeming qualities. I just hope this guy finds some peace. yeesh.
December 15, 2017
Well written story lines though my favorite parts of the book are when Horton talks about his mother. The book made me look at my work/life/activism differently - the last chapter is really all you need to read if you're looking for life advice.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 12, 2021
A lovely meditation on how we learn collectively and outside of the power structure. Appreciated the focus on labor movements and the transnational nature of workers' struggle. Looking forward to reading more about Horton's educational practice!
July 19, 2017
Absolutely insightful 💖
January 20, 2018
This was an incredibly moving story of persistence, foresight, and courage. I read this many years ago, soon after publication (early 1990's?),
October 24, 2018
Lovely and Frank written account of the life work of Myles. He is admirable in his believe in people and helping them to achieve the goals circumstance might otherwise have left unachievable.
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