Radical Volunteers: Dissent, Desegregation, and Student Power in Tennessee

Radical Volunteers explores southern student activism in Tennessee between the Brown decision in 1954 and the Kent State University shootings in May 1970, broadening our understanding of New Left and Black student radicalism. It reveals that students joined organizations and became activists to assert their autonomy and student power became a rallying cry across the state. It situates campus activism within their broader communities and reveals disjuncture as much as coherence in the movement. Despite being outnumbered, Tennessee student activists secured significant campus reforms, pursued ambitious community initiatives, and articulated a powerful countervision for the South and the United States.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 277 pages
Publication date: 01 May 2024
Publisher: University of Georgia Press

Radical Volunteers: The Untold Story of Southern Student Activism in Tennessee
Radical Volunteers: The Untold Story of Southern Student Activism in Tennessee is a groundbreaking study that sheds light on the largely unknown history of student activism in the state between the Brown decision in 1954 and the national backlash against the Kent State University shootings in May 1970. As one of the first statewide studies of student activism, it broadens our understanding of New Left and Black student radicalism beyond its traditional hotbeds in the Northeast and the West Coast.

By incorporating accounts of students from both historically Black and predominantly white colleges and universities across Tennessee, Radical Volunteers places events that might otherwise appear random and intermittent into conversation with one another. This methodological approach reveals that students joined organizations and became activists in an effort to assert their autonomy and, as a result, student power became a rallying cry across the state.

Katherine J. Ballantyne, the author of Radical Volunteers, illuminates a broad movement comprised of many different sorts of students—white and Black, private and public, western, middle, and east Tennesseans. Importantly, Ballantyne does not confine her analysis to just campuses. Indeed, Radical Volunteers also situates campus activism within their broader communities. Tennessee student activists built upon relationships with Old Left activists and organizations, thereby fostering their otherwise fledgling enterprises and creating the possibility for radical change in the politically conservative region.

However, framing student activism over a long period of time across Tennessee as a whole reveals disjuncture as much as coherence in the movement. Though all case studies contain particular and representative features, Tennessee's diversity lends itself well to a study of the movement's complexities.

One of the key findings of Radical Volunteers is the role of student activism in challenging the status quo and promoting social change. Students from both Black and white colleges and universities participated in a range of activities, from sit-ins and protests to voter registration drives and community organizing. These activities were often met with resistance from the local community, the state government, and even the federal government. However, student activists persisted and continued to push for change.

One of the most significant events of the period was the Brown decision in 1954. This decision struck down the "separate but equal" doctrine in public schools, which had been in place since the end of Reconstruction. The decision had a profound impact on the lives of Black students in Tennessee, as it opened up opportunities for them to attend integrated schools. However, it also led to a backlash from white students and parents, who opposed integration.

In response to the Brown decision, student activists organized a series of protests and rallies across the state. These protests were often met with violence from the local community and the state government. In one of the most infamous incidents, a group of white students attacked a group of Black students at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, resulting in the death of one student and the injury of several others.

Despite the violence and resistance, student activism continued to grow in the years that followed. In 1960, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) was founded in Tennessee, and it became a major force in the civil rights movement. SNCC's work in Tennessee included voter registration drives, community organizing, and protests against segregation and discrimination.

In addition to the civil rights movement, student activism also played a role in the anti-war movement. In the early 1970s, the United States was involved in the Vietnam War, and student activists across the country were protesting the war. In Tennessee, student activists organized a series of protests and rallies against the war, including a massive march on Washington, D.C. in April 1970.

The Kent State University shootings in May 1970 were a turning point in the anti-war movement. The shootings resulted in the deaths of four students and the injury of nine others. The shootings were widely condemned by the public, and they led to a national backlash against the war. Student activists in Tennessee were among those who responded to the shootings.

In response to the Kent State University shootings, student activists organized a series of protests and rallies across the state. These protests were often met with violence from the local community and the state government. In one of the most infamous incidents, a group of students at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville attacked a group of students at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, resulting in the death of one student and the injury of several others.

Despite the violence and resistance, student activism continued to grow in the years that followed. In 1972, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) was dissolved, but its legacy continued. SNCC's work in Tennessee had laid the foundation for the civil rights movement, and it had inspired a generation of activists.

In conclusion, Radical Volunteers: The Untold Story of Southern Student Activism in Tennessee is a groundbreaking study that sheds light on the largely unknown history of student activism in the state between the Brown decision in 1954 and the national backlash against the Kent State University shootings in May 1970. By incorporating accounts of students from both historically Black and predominantly white colleges and universities across Tennessee, Radical Volunteers reveals that students joined organizations and became activists in an effort to assert their autonomy and, as a result, student power became a rallying cry across the state. The book also situates campus activism within their broader communities, and it reveals disjuncture as much as coherence in the movement. Despite the violence and resistance, student activism continued to grow in the years that followed, and it played a significant role in the civil rights and anti-war movements.

Weight: 368g
Dimension: 150 x 229 x 17 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780820366456