Founded in August 1943 by black and white leaders concerned about the future of race relations in their region, the Southern Regional Council occupies a unique place in the history of the modern South. Dedicated to the rigorous analysis of social problems and policies, and committed to the pursuit of social justice through "research and action," historians, policy analysts, politicians and civil rights veterans have long agreed on the importance of the organization. And yet, there exists no authoritative institutional study of the SRC and its work. There is no systematic investigation of the Council's critical role in the erosion and then destruction of Jim Crow in the South; no sustained analysis of its often prickly relationships with other white liberal, radical, and reactionary forces in the region; and, perhaps most alarmingly, nothing but a smattering of uncontextualized references to the SRC's equally turbulent--but ultimately supportive--relationship with the African American-led struggle for civil and voting rights in the South. Focusing on the period between 1943 and 1982, The University of Florida's Southern Regional Council History Project was initated to help fill that gap.
The SRC's role in bringing racial change to the region, and in publicizing all manner of other social problems, from prison conditions and poverty, to public health and the abuse of migrant labor, has been vital. Throughout its history, the Council's policies and initiatives have emerged from a cauldron of competing ideas, tactics, and priorities, which themselves reveal the diversity and complexity of southern social thought and policy. Moreover, the fact that this proudly southern organization has always been heavily dependent on northern philanthropy for funds, has exercised a consistent influence on when, where and how it has acted. In sum, it was agreed that a study of the SRC would not only fill a gaping hole in the story of the southern civil rights movement and its legacy, but would offer a unique insight into the related story of white southern racial liberalism; its dilemmas, failures and anxieties, as well as its successes and triumphs. In the process, the project will deepen our understanding of the ongoing struggle for democracy, peace, and justice in the United States.
Phase One: In 2000 a substantial grant from the University of Florida's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences launched the Project. This money was used primarily to purchase the microfilm collection of SRC papers, 1944-1968. The University Library subsequently bought important collatoral collections of papers relating to the southern civil rights movement. These impressive collections have provided the basis for many graduate and undergraduate essays and dissertations in modern history.
Phase Two: A generous grant from the Ford Foundation, supplemented by research monies from the University of Florida's Office of Research and Graduate Programs and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, enabled us to commence preliminary archival research and start an extensive program of oral history interviews with veterans of both the SRC and its local affiliates across the South. These interviews will eventually be available for scholarly use by arrangement with the University's Samuel Procter Oral History Program.
Phase Three: In October, 2003, the University of Florida will host a major conference on the SRC and the Civil Rights Movement featuring both veterans of the Council and leading historians of the Movement.
Phase Four: Publication of a collection of essays on the SRC and the Civil Rights Movement in Winter of 2005.
The following groups and individuals have provided invaluable help in connection with the creation and execution of this project: