For coverage of Highlander's 75th Anniversary, click here.
For books, articles, and videos about Highlander's history, click here.
"Carawans Used Music to Help Champion Civil Rights"; Jessie Pounds; Knoxville News-Sentinel, 2/18/09. This front-page article focuses on Guy and Candie Carawan's work with Highlander and their commitment to making music and culture a vital part of the fight for social and economic justice.
"We Shall Overcome"; WVLT-TV; 2/2/09. Highlights the role of Guy and Candie Carawan -- musicians, activists, and long-time Highlander staff members -- in helping to spread "We Shall Overcome" throughout the Civil Rights movement and beyond. [6/29/09 - video no longer available online]
"Community Organizing: A Balm for Tired Souls"; USA Service; 1/21/09. An article by Highlander Director Pam McMichael, guest blogging on USA Service, the official website of the national organizing call to ongoing service issued by President Barack Obama on Martin Luther King Day on the eve of his inauguration.
"Protesters in Krutch Park Honor Calif. Shooting Victim"; Shelby Baker; WATE; 1/14/09. A brief report about a candlelight vigil organized by Highlander and other local organizations to protest the police killing of Oscar Grant III in Oakland, CA on New Years' Eve. Over 40 people attended the vigil, which was part of a nationwide Day of Solidarity and Healing sponsored by The Gathering for Justice, The Coalition Against Police Executions, and others across the country. For background information on the vigil, click here.
"ET civil-rights pioneers to be honored on Inauguration Day"; Jessie Pounds, Knoxville New-Sentinel, 1/8/09. Honorees inlcude Guy & Candie Carawan, long-time Highlander staff members and noted activists and musicians who played a vital role spreading freedom songs like "We Shall Overcome" and "Keep Your Eyes on the Prize" to civil rights activists throughout the South.
Reno Star Reflects on Local Cause - by Terry Morrow; Knoxville News Sentinel, 11/20/08. An interview with Robert Ben Garant - great nephew of Highlander's founder, Myles Horton, and co-creator, writer and star of Comedy Central’s hit show Reno 911! - about Myles and Highlander.
"How One Charity Has Reshaped America"; by Pablo Eisenberg; Chronicle of Philanthropy, 9/4/08. A brief survey of Highlander's history and a ringing endorsement of its current work. Eisenberg calls Highlander "a beacon for democratic change" and says that it is "one of the great grass-roots organizations of our time." (Subscription to the Chronicle required.)
"Will Obama Inspire a New Generation of Oganizers?"; by Peter Dreier; Dissent Magazine and The Huffington Post; July 1, 2008. Cites Highlander as one of "a growing number of training centers" and organizing networks that have "helped recruit and train thousands of people into the organizing world and strengthened the community organizing movement’s political power."
"A Bridge Conversation on Planning the Revolution over Collards"; by Javiera Benavente; Community Arts Network Reading Room; June 2008. An interview with Highlander's Cultural Organizer, Tufara Waller Muhammad, about how artists can participate most effectively in social justice activism.
"Adrienne Maree Brown of the Ruckus Society on Media Justice, Election Protection and the Issue of Race in the 2008 Election"; Democracy Now; June 6, 2008. An interview by Democracy Now host Amy Goodman with Adrienne Maree Brown of the Ruckus Society about media justice, election protection, and the issue of race in the 2008 election. During the interview, Ms. Brown mentions that the term "media justice" was coined at Highlander and discusses the impact of a 2002 meeting at Highlander on the media reform movement. For a report on the 2002 meeting, click here.
"Bilingual Resource From Highlander's Bookstore"; The Popular Education News (No. 57; April 2008). The article highlights Across Races and Nations: Building New Communities In The U.S. South / A traves de Razas y Naciones: Construyendo Communidades en el Nuevo Sur de EEUU - a bilingual report on the impact of immigration and the opportunities for cross-race organizing in the South, created by Highlander, the Southern Regional Council, and the Center for Research on Women at the University of Memphis.
"Ex-Panthers to Discuss Ethnic Rifts,"by Jasmine Carson; The Daily Beacon Online; March 31, 2008. An article about a three-day series of events with former members of the Black Panther Party, sponsored by the University of Tennessee, that included a session at Highlander.
"Stripmining Black History Month," by Jeff Biggers; Huffington Post; January 29, 2008. A discussion the Appalachian origins of Black History Month and how Black Appalachians are often overlooked or ignored. Mentions Rosa Parks' participation in a Highlander workshop not long before her actions sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
Appalachian Journal (34.3-4): Special Issue on Appalachian Activism in Honor of Stephen L. Fisher. Features articles by a variety of activists and scholars, many of whom are connected with Highlander, including Stephen L. Fisher, Helen Lewis, Guy and Candie Carawan, Nina Gregg and Doug Gamble, Fran Ansley, George Loveland, and Larry Osborne. Several of the articles discuss Highlander's work in Appalachia.
"Film Review - Morristown: In the Air and the Sun" - by Monica Hernandez; Ark Magazine 24 (Fall 2007). Monica coordinates Highlander's support for immigrant organizing and leadership development. In this review, she praises Morristown as a "powerful organizing tool that can help build...solidarity" between immigrant and U.S. born workers.
Articles related to Highlander in Race, Poverty, & the Environment, 14.20 (Fall 2007):
- Mónica Hernández: Highlander Research and Education Center - "The only way change is going to happen is from the bottom up"; based on an interview by Diana Pei Wu. Monica, the coordinator of Highlander's Pueblos de Latinoamérica Program, discusses the importance of popular education and the development of Highlander's Immigrant Leadership Development Institute.
- Pancho Arguelles, Colectivo Flatlander: Understanding Transformation; based on an interview by Diana Pei Wu. A consultant to Highlander's Immigrant Leadership Development Institute and a plenary speaker at the 75th Anniversary Celebration, Pancho discusses popular education as "a methodology for education and organizing and a philosophy that builds a popular movement in order to bring about structural change."
- "Civil Rights Movement Origins at Highlander Educational Sessions"; by John Hurst. A brief article (excerpted from a longer essay) by a long-time friend and supporter about Highlander's role in the Civil Rights Movement.
- "Educating and Organizing"; by Mike Miller. A brief article (excerpted from a longer essay) about popular education and organizing that draws in part on the work of Myles Horton. [10/17/07]
"Ancestors in Training," by Isabell Moore and Manju Rajendran; Left Turn: Notes from the Global Intifada, No. 23 (Jan/Feb 2007), 38-43. Includes a discussion of the Intergenerational Think Tank organized by Highlander on July 28-30, 2006 as part of our week-long series of gatherings on youth organizing in the region. This issue also includes an article on the US Social Forum by Highlander Board member Eric Tang. To order a copy of the issue, or to subscribe to Left Turn, go to www.leftturn.org
"We Shall Overcome: An Hour With Legendary Folk Singer & Activist Pete Seeger"; Democracy Now, September 4, 2006. An interview with Pete Seeger by Amy Goodman; includes Pete's description of Highlander's role in spreading "We Shall Overcome" and his story of singing the song to Martin Luther King and others at Highlander's 25th anniversary celebration in 1957.
"The Peace Movement"; WUOT, July 28, 2006. A podcast about the STORY anti-war group that met at Highlander on July 7-10, 2006. Click here for the main WUOT podcast page. See below for reports by members of STORY themselves.
"My Seven on the Civil Rights Trail" - by Charles Cobb; National Geographic; February 2005. Cobb includes Highlander on his list of "places crucial to the civil rights cause."
"The Highlander Center"; National Public Radio, February 28, 2003 A report on Highlander by Ann Lloyd and produced by WUOT in Knoxville, Tennessee. It aired on both Morning Edition and All Things Considered. (Please note: this is a very large file, so it may take several minutes to begin playing on a dial-up connection.)
Thanks to Ann Lloyd and the staff at WUOT for producing this report and to Matt Schafer Powell for providing a copy of it in MP3 format.
