Roanoke, Virginia: 1957.
Price: $3,500.00
Unbound. An archive of material related to a slander suit brought by African-American minister and *Roanoke Tribune* publisher Rev. Fleming Emory Alexander against local Black leaders who called for his censure. The papers consist of typescripts and carbons of varying sizes, along with related newspaper clippings. Overall very good or better with typical light edgewear and toning.
Alexander was a veteran of World War I who attended Virginia Seminary and College in Lynchburg. In 1939 he founded the *Roanoke Tribune*, a weekly newspaper for the Black community of Western Virginia that promoted self-esteem and respect for others. Despite being a staunch Democrat, Alexander embraced the notion of integration following the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education ruling, putting him at odds with many of the politicians he had helped to elect.
This archive consists of papers related to his suit against The Commonwealth Citizens Association (CCA) of Roanoke, a group of Black civic-minded residents who objected to a series of editorials Alexander penned in the fall of 1956. While the pieces were progressive for a life-long Democrat, their go-slow approach to integration were too conservative for the CCA, who published an editorial in several competing newspapers questioning Alexander’s character. Eventually the case was settled out of court with the CCA agreeing to issue a public apology and pay damages of $3,750.
The materials here come from a lawyer who defended the CCA. Included are two copies of a statement from CCA member Cordelia Williams (her handwritten copy and a typed version on CCA stationery); three copies of the agreement reached between Alexander and the CCA; a statement of the financial payments made by CCA members in early 1958; a copy of a letter sent from one lawyer to another commenting on the case; a list of readers who canceled their subscription to the *Roanoke Tribune*; several newspaper clippings; and an unconnected committee report from 1955.
An interesting archive revealing the division in Black communities following the Brown v. Board of Education Ruling.
Item #461168
