Letters of Appreciation to Mayor Ivan Allen Jr.
In 1963, Mayor Ivan Allen Jr. of Atlanta, Georgia testified before congress in support of a federal law that would desegregate public areas, specifically hotels and restaurants. This bill went on to become the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Given the time period, Mayor Allen received much backlash for his support; however, he also received many letters expressing appreciation of his testimony. Here are some of those letters:
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This news article covered Mayor Allen's testimony. The author, Pat Watters, was "intrigued with the question of why he did it." Given that Mayor Allen was essentially the only politician from Georgia in support of this bill, Watters's intrigue is not surprising. In testifying in support of the bill, Mayor Allen was risking his political future.
According to Watters, Allen claimed that "it is high time, nine years after the school ruling, that the federal government help out with the problems created by the mandates of the federal court." Allen wanted the backing of the federal government to help support the ongoing desegregation of Atlanta as well as the rest of the country. Though he had already taken steps to desegregate Atlanta, his power was restricted, both by the constitutional limitations of a mayor and by a lack of support and enforcement other than from local government.
Watters was clearly supportive of and impressed by Mayor Allen's actions. He repeatedly agreed with the points that Allen argued, and spoke of Allen's testimony using positive connotation.
This letter came from a native Georgian. After Mayor Allen's support of the bill, the author of the letter, William Kirkland, wrote to Allen to express his gratitude for his "strong, courageous statement." Allen's testimony being characterized as "strong" and "courageous" displays the heroic nature of his actions.
Kirkland wanted to return to Georgia. It is likely that Mayor Allen's desegregation policies and testimony were part of Kirkland's inspiration for wishing to come back. As he currently lived in West Virginia, the move from one southern state to another was clearly not motivated by the desire to escape the resounding racism and strict segregation found in the South. He was drawn to Georgia not only because it was his home, but also because of the inspiring leadership of Mayor Allen.
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This letter to Mayor Allen, written by Emmy Tyler Davis, expresses her excitement at seeing Allen's testimony being reported on in the newspaper. She included copies of the article in which Allen was mentioned. The State, the newspaper that she was referring to, was based in South Carolina; thus it is likely that she lived in South Carolina. Senator Thurmond, also from South Carolina, was in direct opposition of Mayor Allen. Davis was most likely not only impressed with Mayor Allen's testimony, but also very disappointed with Senator Thurmond's opposition. Instead of choosing to disrespect Thurmond (though she may have in a letter written to him), she chose to praise Allen. This approval, coming from someone in another state, is very representative of the reach that Mayor Allen's testimony had. Most of these letters were written by someone in a different state. For a mayor to have influence this widespread is undoubtedly impressive.
Daniel Keefe wrote to Mayor Allen, claiming that Allen's "courageous expression of opinion makes me wish that I lived in Atlanta so that I could vote for you."
It is possible that for some, the mayor's fight for civil rights made them proud to live in Atlanta. Compared to many other surrounding states, Georgia had political leadership that supported the civil rights bill (even if it was only Mayor Allen). South Carolina, where Keefe resided, had more than one leader testify against the bill. Senator Thurmond directly opposed Mayor Allen.
While Keefe could have desired to live in a more progressive city up north, he specified wanting to live in Atlanta: a city with a mayor willing to risk reelection in order to progress a bill. While other political leaders may have been just as progressive (if not more) as Mayor Allen, his testimony did not just show that he was supportive of civil rights, but that he was willing to risk his career in order to fight for it. Other politicians who appeared progressive in northern states were likely only progressive to ensure reelection. The selflessness that Mayor Allen displayed is rare for politicians, as most political action is to reassure reelection.
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