Dynamics of Desegregation

Tale of Two Ladies is part 1 of 15 in the Dynamics of Desegregation series, hosted by Harvard psychology professor Thomas F. Pettigrew. It examines the parallel cases of Catherine Brown of Alexandria, Virginia in 1868 and Rosa Parks of Montgomery, Alabama in 1955.

Dr. Pettigrew discusses three aspects of living which he believes influence lynchings.

Dr. Pettigrew discusses how lynchings affect the African-American community.

Dr. Pettigrew discusses the history of South Africa which led to the apartheid and draws parallels with the American South.

Dr. Pettigrew contrasts English law and its effects on slaves and slavery with the laws of other countries

Dr. Pettigrew recounts Charles Houston’s legal battle involving school integration and the 1954 school segregation decision.

After years of passive resistance, forms of Negro protests have changed to sit-ins and freedom rides. Whitney Young, National Executive Director of the Urban League, joins Thomas F. Pettigrew to discuss the social and cultural side of desegregation including evolving protest styles.

Dr. Pettigrew discusses the industrialization and urbanization of the South.

Dr. Pettigrew discusses segregation movements including the Ku Klux Klan and mob violence as evidenced in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Dr. Pettigrew examines whether close contact improves race relations or leads to further conflict.

Dr. Pettigrew explains two kinds of prejudice: conformity and the crutch (scapegoating), which bolsters the ego of the insecure.

Dr. Pettigrew explains his two theories of Southern racial prejudice – the Southern moderate and the Southern racist.

Dr. Pettigrew examines the problem of residential segregation.

Dr. Pettigrew examines self-identity in the African-American community.

Martin Luther King Jr. and Dr. Pettigrew discuss five stages of desegregation since the Supreme Court decision of 1954.