SOCIAL SCIENCES

Water Tossing Boulders: How a Family of Chinese Immigrants Led the First Fight To Desegregate Schools in the Jim Crow South

Beacon. Oct. 2016. 224p. notes. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780807033531. $26.95; ebk. ISBN 9780807033548. SOC SCI
COPY ISBN
Berard (Love and War) makes mostly good on her intention to illuminate the lives of the Chinese immigrant Lum family who lodged an early desegregation effort in 1920s Mississippi. In the appeal to allow their daughter to continue her education among the white peers she matriculated with throughout her years at the local school, the family enlisted the help of former governor Earl Brewer. Brewer and the legal machinations of the family's efforts briefly overtake the narrative and readers may lose sight of the Lum family; however, they circle back into the spotlight at the end. Berard makes solid use of research materials, such as city directories, but more information on the Lums would have been helpful in presenting a fuller picture of family ambitions. The volume does provide a fresh perspective on what was left behind when so many African American citizens fled the South as part of the Great Migration.
VERDICT Potentially useful for students of specifically Asian American or Southern history.
Comment Policy:
  • Be respectful, and do not attack the author, people mentioned in the article, or other commenters. Take on the idea, not the messenger.
  • Don't use obscene, profane, or vulgar language.
  • Stay on point. Comments that stray from the topic at hand may be deleted.
  • Comments may be republished in print, online, or other forms of media.
  • If you see something objectionable, please let us know. Once a comment has been flagged, a staff member will investigate.


RELATED 

ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?

We are currently offering this content for free. Sign up now to activate your personal profile, where you can save articles for future viewing

ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?