The World In Black and White: A Memoir of the Civil Rights Wars
by Clyde E. Fant (available at: Amazon.com Services LLC, 2019).
Reviewed by Floyd A. Craig
Two men sat in the dark under the spreading branches of a mimosa tree. The only light came from the dying embers of a burned cross. One of the men had a rifle across his lap. The other man was his neighbor, a local pastor. They were watching the slow circling of a sedan with its headlights off. The Ku Klux Klan was on the move again. Why had the Klan burned a cross on the lawn of the manager of a local shoe store? And how had Clyde Fant, pastor of the First Baptist Church of Ruston, Louisiana, become embroiled in the race wars of the Deep South?
For that matter, how had the son of Clyde Fant, Sr, the most powerful politician in the state of Louisiana who was not one of the notorious Long families, become a pastor in the first place? A skeptical boy who only attended church because his parents made him, he was destined for a law career and notable political office. Yet this boy had chosen a path no one else in his family had ever followed. It would lead him to events he never saw coming, events involved in the most momentous changes in the nation since the Civil War: the historic fight for civil rights in the 1960s.
He was not yet 30 years old when he had to challenge the racist views of older pastors, denominational leaders, the head of the statewide White Citizens Council, and even the president of the local university, a member of his church. Written with conviction and wry humor, The World In Black and White is a memoir that reads like a novel. Fant tells his story with frankness and honesty, as he reveals failures as well as successes—the fears, the compromises, the frequent doubts bordering on despair—along with political know-how, learned from his distinguished father, to navigate this tumultuous storm. The book is more than a searing examination of our past. It also lets us know what we're up against today in our mostly segregated communities, and what can help save us.
In brief comments about the book:
Bill Moyers, author and journalist, wrote, “Written with a fluency that I envy. This important book provided me with so many smiles and chuckles, so many warm and insightful reminiscences, and so many beautiful turned phrases and finely spun that I I felt as if I were part of the story and so enjoying the experience, that wanted it to go on and on. When I was almost done with it, I slowed my reading because I couldn’t bear the though of coming to an end.”
Ross West, retired publisher, wrote, “You may have read many memoirs, but you've likely not read even one quite like this. It's alternately–and sometimes simultaneously–hilarious and deadly serious. It's rare that so much humor and such meaningful moral truths and challenges can be found in one volume. The memoir focuses on Fant's experiences during the intense civil rights struggles of the early sixties. To his great credit, Fant is transparent about his shortcomings as well as his acts of courage and Christian commitment. He is a master communicator in print as well as in the spoken word.”
Clyde Edgerton, author of Walking Across Egypt, observed, “ There were American explosions in the 1960’s that in so many ways grew out of silence. A great place to start the new, necessary conversation is a close read of this marvelous book that tells it like behind the lines, and in some cases: next the fire. Clyde Fant’s eloquently written book lets us know not only what we’re up against today in our mostly segregated communities, but what we can do about it.”
Mark Powell, author of The Sheltering wrote, “This book belongs on the shelf with the work of Will Campbell and Alice Walker, powerful work from a writer who has, as Rilke wrote, lived the questions.”
U.S. Senator Max Cleland (Ret), author of Strong at the Broken Places wrote, “The American South in the 60’s was a cauldron of emotion. I know, I grew up there!…What was it like to be caught up in this seething mass f American history, especially if you are a young minister of the Gospel? This is the true tale that unfolds like an Agatha Christie mystery in the The World in Black and White, a drama you won’t want to miss!”
Of course, there were many other authors, editors, pastors, professors, students and friends who expressed praise for this seminal work, far too many to be included in this review, but were appreciated none the less.
On a personal note, The World in Black and White, brought back poignant and difficult memories of the 60’s. I was privileged to help create the Race Relations Sunday messages displayed on posters, in written materials and publications during the 12 years I was on the staff of the Christian Life Commission of the SBC. These materials were sent to all SBC churches and agencies. Our files included the threats as well as the record of many courageous pastors and church staff who were rarely heard from but were “out there” speaking in “Word and Deed”! Clyde speaks powerfully to and for those who were “out there” then and yea, even NOW!
— Floyd A. Craig is former director of public relations for the Christian Life Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention (no longer an agency of the SBC) and the North Carolina Governor’s staff, now retired.
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