{"product_id":"black-in-selma-the-uncommon-life-of-j-l-chestnut-jr-9780817354619","title":"Black in Selma: The Uncommon Life of J. L. Chestnut Jr.","description":"\u003cb\u003e\"The autobiography of J. L. Chestnut is the story of Selma's first black lawyer and prodigal son, but it is also part of the history of the race, sweeping biblically from enslavement by segregation to freedom to the ambitious aftermath of redemption.\" --\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eNew York Times Book Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Born in Selma in 1930, J. L. Chestnut left home to study law at Howard University in Washington, DC. Returning to Selma, Chestnut was the town's first and only African American attorney in the late 1950s. As the turbulent struggle for civil rights spread across the South, Chestnut became an active and ardent promoter of social and legal equality in his hometown. A key player on the local and state fronts, Chestnut accrued deep insights into the racial tensions in his community and deftly opened paths toward a more equitable future. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Though intimately involved in many events that took place in Selma, Chestnut was nevertheless often identified in history books simply as \"a local attorney.\" \u003ci\u003eBlack in Selma\u003c\/i\u003e reveals his powerful yet little-known story. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In the 2014 film \u003ci\u003eSelma\u003c\/i\u003e, director Ava DuVernay takes audiences to the climactic confrontation between civil rights advocates and the state's security forces of March 1965. Readers looking for a deeper understanding of the events that preceded that epic moment, as well as how racial integration unfolded in Selma in the decades that followed, will find Chestnut's story and memories both a vital primary source and an inspiration.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eJ. L. Chestnut Jr.\u003c\/b\u003e is a civil rights attorney, columnist, and radio talk show host in Selma. He founded Chestnut, Sanders and Sanders, the largest black law firm in Alabama. \u003cb\u003eJulia Cass\u003c\/b\u003e is a freelance writer and journalism trainer who started her career in 1978 at \u003ci\u003eThe Philadelphia Inquirer\u003c\/i\u003e. She is a 2002 recipient of a Knight International Journalism fellowship.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Fire Ant Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50413448560914,"sku":"9780817354619","price":34.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_c921f8a8-3031-422f-952c-a2b897c26406.jpg?v=1729353795","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/black-in-selma-the-uncommon-life-of-j-l-chestnut-jr-9780817354619","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}