What Mr. Costello Is Reading Right Now: Wyatt Walker

Hi MTW!

Yesterday Wyatt Walker's obituary came across my news feed and I was jolted a bit because of a chapter that I teach out of Malcolm Gladwell's book "David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants."  The chapter is titled "Wyatt Walker" and it tells the story of some of the critical moves made during the Civil Rights Movement.  Wyatt Walker was the architect behind some of the peaceful protests in Birmingham, AL that led to a national perception shift of the treatment of blacks in the South.



Read Walker's obituary here:
https://mobile.nytimes.com/2018/01/23/obituaries/wyatt-tee-walker-dead.html?referer=http://m.facebook.com

"Dr. Walker joined the fledgling Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1961 and served until 1964 as its executive director and, unofficially, as Dr. King’s right-hand man. At the S.C.L.C., he devised a structured fund-raising strategy and organized numerous protests, including a series of anti-segregation boycotts and demonstrations in Birmingham, Ala., that came to be known as Project C.
The C stood for “confrontation,” and the project is regarded as the blueprint for the civil rights movement’s success in the South."

Also
I highly recommend Gladwell's writing, but I think it especially important that my students read the "Wyatt Walker" chapter in "David and Goliath" as a way to foster a perception shift in themselves.  As the Civil Rights Movement of 50 or more years ago keeps fading away, and it's leaders age out of the public eye, or die, we need to continue to challenge what we see and what we are shown.  This was one of Walker's philosophical foundations and I'm thankful to have learned what his story was before he died.


Grab a copy of Gladwell's "David and Goliath" for an essential read.  You should also listen to his podcast "Revisionist History" which uncovers the truth of many of our long-held stories from history.  He goes deeper into Walker's story and it outcomes in season 2, episode 4, linked to here:

http://revisionisthistory.com/episodes/14-the-foot-soldier-of-birmingham

Comments

  1. Wyatt Walker was a very important leader in the history of the Civil Rights movement. Walker used peaceful and nonviolent tactics to get his message across. His aim was for the equality of African Americans all across the nation. His work caused many steps in the right direction.

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    1. Thanks for reading, Natalie! Check out the podcast to learn more!

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  2. I think this is an interesting post. Before reading this entry and skimming the New York Times article posted with it, I had never heard of Wyatt Walker. I never knew that Martin Luther King Jr. had aides that he relied on heavily. I find it very interesting that there are so many extremely important and influential people in history that most people have never even heard of. People know a lot about Martin Luther King Jr., but most do not know his aides even existed, even though they were apparently vital organizers and fundraisers in the fight for civil rights.

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    1. With any movement, a complicated network of people must come together, but leaders will always lead. Dr. King was the voice of the Civil rights Movement because of his determination, attention to detail, but most of all his charisma. He was a captivating figure in his life, and his death was equally as captivating. Wyatt Walker is no less important, and others, but I think it is important to understand that people will lend their talents to a purpose so that a movement can combine the strengths of everyone. Walker couldn't captivate an audience like Dr. King could, but he did a lot of other things that Dr. King could not.

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  3. I had no idea who Walker was before I looked through the post. Despite learning about the Civil Rights Movement, books don't really mention him or his role. Walker was relied on heavily by Dr. King. It's kind of sad that such important people are overshadowed by those they help help, but that's how it's been for all of history. It seemed that Walker was very important in the Civil Rights Movement, at least where Dr. King was concerned.

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    1. It's true, Sam. But it's also understandable that any large social movement is too complicated to be organized and executed by a single person. It takes many, many people over a long period of time.

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  4. Before reading this post, I had never heard of Dr. Walker. Dr. Walker organized many demonstrations throughout Alabama and the South that bettered the lives of African Americans throughout the nation. I cannot fathom the reality of segregation that Dr. Walker and his allies fought to remove. Without the works of Dr. Walker, it is possible that the Civil Rights movement as a whole would have reached a point of stagnation. I have the uttermost respect for him. It is sad that after all of the progressive work done by Dr. Walker, he received little to no recognition.

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    1. Thanks, Seth! Walker did receive plenty of recognition. He was, after all, the executive director of the SCLC for years before the Civil Rights Movement culminated in Birmingham and Selma. Dr. King commands a lot of attention from history because of his charisma, and his tragic death, but many, many people shared responsibility for orchestrating such a major social movement.

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  5. Wyatt walker was a very important figure during the Civil Rights Movement. His strong beliefs in non physical and non violent combat paved the way for how the Civil Rights Movement looked at its peak.

    Collin Boudrea

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    1. Hey Collin! True. Check out the podcast for more info!

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  6. I am very surprised that I have never heard of Wyatt Walker before today. It is obvious that he was such an important and influential person, like Dr. King, in the civil rights movement. It’s really interesting to me that Martin Luther King had other people helping him that were so important that not many people have heard of. Wyatt Walker was a role model and people should still become educated on his achievements and listen to what he was fighting for (peacefully) because civil rights is still a very prominent part of society

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    1. Thanks Sofia! It's interesting that so many people have not learned about the complicated human network behind the Civil Rights movement. Why do you think that is?

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    2. I feel the same way as Sofia, i think that not many people know who Wyatt Walker is but we should. He has a role in our history and he has a connection to Martin Luther King, and we should learn more about what he did and how he did it.

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  7. Before reading the Wyatt Walker article, I have never heard of Wyatt Walker and his role in the Civil Rights Movement. Wyatt Tee Walker was Dr. Kings strategist. Walker was responsible for most of the protests that took place in Birmingham. Thanks to the works of Wyatt Tee Walker, Walker had provided King strategies to further enforce why African Americans deserve equality. Walker was an important key figure to the Civil Rights Movement. Walker was committed to nonviolent protests and actions. Not only did he have a key role in the Civil Rights Movement, Walker had helped circulate and form the "Letter from Birmingham Jail." In the letter, King had successfully argued why African Americans deserve equality, and why racial segregation is wrong. It is very sad not knowing who really was responsible for the Birmingham protests. These Birmingham protests had caused the succession of the Civil Rights Movement thanks to the work of Walker and his strategies.

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    1. Many people share in the success of the Civil Rights movement. When it comes to social justice today, who are the leaders, how do they lead, and what kinds of things do you think go unnoticed by those who want change?

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  8. Seeing the name Wyatt Walker caught my attention because this name was very unfamiliar to me. I had never heard the name before. When I read about him and found out that he was Kings aide, I was very surprised. I never knew that King and aides with him. He was a very important figure in the beginning of the civil rights movement and his work was really important to the movement.

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    1. Thanks, Zonglin! Dr. King had many supporters and an extensive network of organizers and leaders all lending their skills and strengths to the movement. Why is it that we only hear about Dr. Kings contributions?

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  9. Wyatt Walker was not a name familiar to me prior to this reading. Having studied the Civil Rights movement and Dr. King thoroughly in my education the place of Birmingham, AL caught my attention immediately. After reading this article I was able to conclude that Walker was Dr. King's aide and is responsible for many of the peaceful protests that took place in Birmingham. These demonstrations were said to have been titled "Project C", where the "C" represents confrontation. I thought the article was very interesting because it gave me the ability to connect something familiar to something that isn't as familiar.
    ~Ariana Walker

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    1. Thanks Ariana! Knowing that Walker was Dr. King's unofficial "right hand man" does help to put his contribution in context. There is always more underneath the surface!

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  10. Considering how famous Martin Luther King was during the Civil Rights Movement, it unusual why I haven't learned more about who Wyatt Walker was. If he was Dr. King's right-hand man, he should be more openly publicized when discussing Civil Rights. It might just be my youth and lack of knowledge on the subject, but it seems like Wyatt Walker was living in Dr. King's shadow. Nevertheless, Wyatt Walker played a crucial role in peaceful protests in the South. Anyone who can shift perceptions towards blacks is somebody that should used as an example when discussing racism. N.J.

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    1. Thanks for the response. Perhaps Dr. King's fame, his charisma and his tragic death, do overshadow some of his contemporaries and their contributions to the same causes. People like Wyatt Walker are NOT lost to history (The NYT's widely published obituary is proof of this) but we should continue to question why we might not have learned his story sooner. The Civil Rights movement was much more than just convincing white people that black people are human; it was also about voter suppression, women's rights and the rights of all marginalized communities.

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  11. This post caught my attention because this is a leader in the civil rights movement that you do not here of that often. I find it interesting that you do not here of Wyatt Walker more often because he was so involved in the civil rights movement. Wyatt Walker was also very close to Martian Luther King during it. He also helped with fund-raising and he organized protests and boycotts fighting segregation. I am shocked after reading this that more people do not know about Wyatt Walker.

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    1. Thanks for the response! Think deeper about how or why you might not have known the name of such an important figure. What might it say about our culture at-large?

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  12. I was really surprised when reading this article that I did not Know who Wyatt Walker was. Even after studying the civil rights movement. He was such an important figure in this movement as one of the leaders who helped greatly in fighting segregation and creating protests. After reading bits and pieces of the comment section I found many others didn't know who he was either. Which lead me to the question why have so many people never heard of him? Even though he played a large roll in an important part of our history.

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  13. Wyatt Walker is a name I have never heard of, revolving around the Civil Rights movements, never mind being a designer of protests. Hearing his name now, Wyatt sounds like an equally important activist to Dr. Martin Luther King.

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  14. I did not know who Wyatt Walker was.I searched a little about him. He was for non-violent protests against racial segregation and one of the landmark documents of the civil rights era. He was very friend with Martin Luther King. He stood with the leader of the civil rights movement during the demonstrations and marches for racial equality. He is an important person in the Civil Rights Movement. Walker, has done a lot to improve the lives of African Americans across the country. I think he should be better known because he has done a lot of good things and is an important person who has influenced the Civil Rights.
    Marine Pillement

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  15. Wyatt Walker was a Civil Rights leader and a associate of Martin Luther King Jr. He help in many things such as being the leader of the civil rights movement.

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  16. I have never heard of Wyatt Walker before. After reading this article I was little interested and I looked him up. I found out that he is one of the significant person who stand for justice and rights just like Dr. Martin Luther King and all these took place during civil rights movement. Also after reading this article I was inspired by what he had done for equality and I found out that Walker had made important contributions to the movement of civil rights.

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  18. I never Knew that there was such a great leader like Wyatt Walker during the civil rights movement. His cooperation with Dr. M.L.K has achieved the success of the civil rights movement. And I wonder why I haven't heard of him or did not noticed him while learning about the U.S History.

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