It's in the Action: Memories of a Nonviolent Warrior

by C.T. Vivian, Steve Fiffer, Andrew Young (Foreword)

The wisdom acquired during C. T. Vivian’s nine decades is generously shared in It’s in the Action , the civil rights legend’s memoir of his life and times in the movement. Born in Missouri in 1924, Vivian lived twenty-four years in Illinois before moving to Nashville, where he earned a degree in theology and joined John Lewis, Diane Nash, and others to integrate the city in 1960. After being imprisoned and beaten during the Freedom Rides, he joined Dr. King at the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in Atlanta and played leading roles in integration and voting rights campaigns in Birmingham, St. Augustine, and Selma. Over the next half century, he became internationally known for his work for education and civil and human rights and against racism, hatred, and economic inequality. In 2013, Barack Obama awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Vivian passed away peacefully in Atlanta on July 17, 2020.

Vivian was never defined by discrimination and hardship, although he faced many instances of both. The late civil rights leader’s heart-wrenching and inspiring stories from a lifetime of nonviolent activism come just in time for a new generation of activists, similarly responding to systems of injustice, violence, and oppression. It’s in the Action is a record of a life dedicated to selflessness and morality, qualities achieved by Vivian that we can all aspire to. Bearing a foreword from Andrew Young, the memoir is an important addition to civil rights history and to the understanding of movement principles and strategies.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

208 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2021

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many people don’t know C.T. Vivian’s name, when he was one of the giants of the Modern Civil Rights Movement, as critical to its success as Dr. King, John Lewis, Diane Nash, and Rosa Parks. This memoir, crafted from interviews in the years just before his death and pulled from interviews across years for more accurate memories of events decades ago, was outstanding. Vivian was a warrior for nonviolence, but hadn’t always been nonviolent himself. His stories of coming to understand power shed light on his years leading the SCLC (Southern Christian Leadership Conference). He discusses various campaigns and strategies of the Movement, though in a thoroughly accessible way. Even the appendices, filled with eulogies, his CV, and an interview with the Living Legacy Project’s Jim Hobart, continue to add to our knowledge of him. Vivian was a humble man, committed to love and justice, and this is an excellent book by and about his life and work. Highly recommended.

[Food4 Thought · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned a lot about Dr. Vivian that was not mentioned in the other books that I have read that pertains to the SCLC, Dr. King and/or the portions of the Civil Rights movement that took place between the years 1945-1969 in America. This autobiography is about a wonderful African-American (and American) man that everyone should read.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful summary of C.T.Vivian’s life. I wish he had devoted a chapter to his work with the National Anti Klan Network/Center for Democratic Renewal.

[Reginald Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great insight into this unheralded giant of the Civil Rights movement and beyond.