The Strange Demise of Jim Crow

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Description

Not all the civil rights victories of the '60s were won at the cost of vicious beatings and mass arrests played out in front of television cameras. This documentary shows how many Southern cities were desegregated in a quieter fashion, with behind-the-scenes negotiations, secret deals, and controversial news blackouts. When Houston students launched boycotts of local stores, a group of black business leaders opened private discussions with the powerful Downtown Business Alliance. Realizing that integration was inevitable, the Alliance convinced its members to welcome African-Americans by promising to keep the change out of the news, while the media was threatened with pulled advertising if it didn't cooperate.