Looking for material for an older2elder posting about the impact of the AME Church shootings on my older friends, I stumbled across an article from the 09/13/13 The Atlantic. The article itself isn't searing, but the excerpts in are, taken from a speech made by a young lawyer delivered at the Birmingham Young Men's Business Club the day after a bombing at the 16th Street Baptist church killed four little black girls.
If ever there was an Alabaman in 1963 who could be described as an outlier (someone differing from others in his group or set) - it was certainly Charles "Chuck" Morgan, Jr. - but not so much that it stood out to everyone. He was clearly a voice for justice & equal rights, but still managed to remain within the fold enough to be a respected voice & presence in Birmingham, where he was a rising young lawyer. Until he made a speech that would change everything, a speech delivered one Monday morning to a young men's professional club. After that, southern society considered he'd put himself beyond the pale.
As the article describes it, "a white man with a young family, a Southerner by heart and heritage, stood up at a lunch meeting of the Birmingham Young Men's Business Club, at the heart of the city's white Establishment, and delivered a speech about race and prejudice that bent the arc of the moral universe just a little bit more toward justice."
Chuck Morgan "would recount years later (that) he had jotted down his remarks 'from anger and despair, from frustration and empathy. And from years of hopes, hopes that were shattered and crumbled with the steps of that Negro Baptist Church.' He had had enough of the silent acquiescence of good people who saw wrong but didn't try to right it."
Chuck Morgan was - as someone in this day & age would expect - a Democrat. But back then, being a southern Democrat was totally different from our present day. It wasn't until the mid-late 1960s that the men & women who'd had been "dixiecrats" swarmed to the GOP. Until then - certainly in 1963 - southern Democrats typically resisted voting & any other rights. So, his comments must have stunned his audience of young southern males.
Thanks to the article, I was also introduced to "Big Jim" Folsom, an early influence in Chuck Morgan's life. "Big Jim," a moderate who believed in integration, served two terms as Alabama's governor. In 1962, he was defeated in his bid for a 3rd term - by George Wallace.
It got me wondering - what if "Big Jim" had won that third term, had been Alabama's governor in the crucible of the mid-1960s?
For someone who was 10 in 1962, the year "Big Jim" lost to George Wallace, the article stirs memories. If I had been born in 1962 or later, it would serve as an excellent lesson of what it was like to be a member of the white ruling class in the heart of the South. It is a reminder of what could happen when a member of that elite spoke out after a terrible tragedy that touched all but the coldest hearts.
Chuck Morgan learned the hard way that (as he later described it) the mere topic of race was a trap that "every white man in Alabama was caught up in." White Birmingham turned against the prominent young lawyer. After receiving threats against his wife & children, he left the city he loved, where he'd lived since he was 15.
So, whatever happened to Charles Morgan, Jr.? Was his life left in tatters from the aftermath of his speech? You tell me:
- In 1964, he established the Southern Regional Office of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in Atlanta.
- He was involved in the ACLU's push to impeach Richard Nixon.
- Was named the ACLU's National Legislative Director.
- Successfully appealed to the Supreme Court to have Julian Bond restored to his seat in the Georgia House of Representatives after he was barred from it due to statements he'd made opposing the Vietnam War.
- Wrote two books - A Time To Speak and One Man, One Vote.
- Served on the legal team appealing Muhammad Ali's conviction as a draft dodger, taking it to the Supreme Court where the team successfully cited Ali's refusal to serve was based on his religious beliefs.
In 1976, Chuck Morgan again make comments that would affect his life. Attending a Washington, D.C. party (back when D.C. parties were legendary, both socially & politically), another guest, from New York, said he'd never vote for Jimmy Carter because of his Southern accept. Chuck Morgan let him know in no uncertain terms, "That's bigotry."
Because of those off-the-cuff, spot-on words, Chuck was officially reprimanded by the head of the ACLU for making a public statement regarding a candidate for political office, which was strictly forbidden. To avoid any possibility of his comments harming the ACLU, he resigned.
Strange but true - after returning to private legal practice, Chuck Morgan represented the Tobacco Institute in opposing smoking bans & won several cases for Sears after the company was accused of discrimination based on race & gender.
After a remarkable life, Chuck Morgan died at 78, from complications due to Alzheimer's disease. I will hold honor him in my heart for all he did to expand the opportunities & lives of so many he never met, never knew, who are forever in his debt.
Well done, thou good & faithful servant.
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