Civil Rights Icon’s New Memoir Written In Last Year of His Life
Across the city, over 24 Atlanta bookstores will feature the life, stories,
and teachings of the man who called the city home for almost half a century: Reverend C.T.
Vivian. Stores including Barnes & Noble and museum gift shops will now carry the lessons of
one of Dr. King’s closest colleagues. This is the book one can read before the next line up in the
streets or at the polls.
Rev. Vivian, who passed in Atlanta, GA, on July
17th, 2020, will be remembered fondly by those who
knew him and those that are still discovering his lifelong dedication to civil rights. C.T. worked and lived in Atlanta for almost 50 years, and through the dedication of his daughter, Denise Morse, thousands of Atlantans will soon learn about his influence on the city.
Rev. Vivian’s influence is the real touchstone,
whether it be his fundraising during Hurricane Katrina, his campaign for Morris Brown, his historical work with the SCLC, or his founding of BASIC and a leadership institute. If it involves faith and love in our city, Rev. Vivian was likely there. And now we have his full story, in his own words.
The reverend, called “the greatest preacher who
ever lived” by Martin Luther King Jr., shares a lifetime
of acquired wisdom in a posthumous memoir, It’s in the Action: Memories of a Nonviolent Warrior, to be
released the week of March 15th
.
Born in Missouri, the reverend’s life weaves from Nashville to Atlanta, Chicago to St.
Augustine, Birmingham to Peoria, Selma to Chattanooga, but his focus is always on God,
education, and freedom.
Ambassador Andy Young, who provides the foreword to the memoir, says ”… we’re blessed to
have It’s in the Action — which while certainly chronicling C.T.’s actions in the movement also
offers his thoughts on those actions.”
Before receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2008, C.T. Vivian worked alongside and
even sharpened the most significant figures. A contemporary of MLK and teacher of John Lewis,
he founded and directed multiple organizations, creating contributions and waves that we’re still
experiencing today. The text, co-written with Steve Fiffer and published by NewSouth Books of
Montgomery, AL, recalls much of his life of faith and nonviolence.
Steve Fiffer is an author, community activist, and co-author of Jimmie Lee and James: Two
Lives, Two Deaths, and the Movement that Changed America, a Harlem Book Fair nonfiction
finalist. He currently serves on the advisory board of the Civic Leadership Foundation in
Chicago, a nonprofit that serves underprivileged youth.
The book will be available March 16, 2021 in the following bookstores:
Emory University Bookstore Park Store
The King Center Bookstore Medu Bookstore
The Shrine Cultural Center and Bookstore A Cappella Books
Charis Books & More Tall Tales Book Shop
Posman Books Cathedral Book Store
Michael C. Carlos Museum Store Barnes & Noble Bookstore- Cumberland
Barnes & Noble Bookstore- Edgewood Phoenix & Dragon Bookstore
Atlanta Vintage Books Read Shop by the Merchant
Barnes & Noble Bookstore- Buckhead Atlanta History Center Museum Shop
The Merchant at Krog Street Market The Merchant at Buckhead Market Place
Black Rose Books Bookish Atlanta
The Herndon Home Museum Gift Shop
Historic Oakland Foundation (Gift Shop and Visitors Center)
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