Staughton Lynd (born November 22, 1929) is an American conscientious objector, peace activist and civil rights activist, tax resister, historian, professor, author and lawyer. Events 498 - Kofi Aseidu- After the death of Anastasius II, Symmachus is elected Pope in the Lateran Year 1929 ( MCMXXIX) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. A conscientious objector (CO is an individual who on religious moral or ethical grounds refuses to participate as a combatant in war or in some cases to take any role that would support His involvement in social justice causes has brought him into contact with some of the nation's most influential activists, including Howard Zinn, Tom Hayden and Daniel Berrigan. Social justice, sometimes called civil justice, refers to the concept of a Society in which Justice is achieved in every aspect of society rather than Howard Zinn (born August 24 1922 is an American Historian, political scientist, social critic, activist and Playwright, best known Thomas Emmet Hayden (born December 11 1939) is an American social and political activist and politician most famous for his involvement Daniel Berrigan, SJ (born May 9, 1921) is a poet American Peace activist, and Roman Catholic Priest. [1]
Contents |
Early life
Lynd was one of two children born to the renowned sociologists Robert Staughton Lynd and Helen Lynd, who authored the groundbreaking "Middletown" studies of Muncie, Indiana, in the late 1920s and '30s. Robert Staughton Lynd (1892 - 1970 was an American Sociologist born in New Albany Indiana. Helen Merrel Lynd ( March 17, 1896 &ndash January 30, 1982) was a U The Middletown Studies refer to a classic Sociological case study of a city in Indiana, as contained in two books by Robert Staughton Lynd and Helen Muncie (ˈmʌnsi is a city in Center Township, Delaware County in east central Indiana, best known as the home of Ball State University and Staughton Lynd inherited not only his father's gifts as a scholar, but also his strong socialist beliefs. Socialism refers to a broad set of economic theories of social organization advocating state or collective ownership and administration of the Means of production and distribution Although Lynd never embraced undemocratic forms of socialism, his ideological outlook led to his expulsion from a non-combatant position in the U. S. military during the purges of the McCarthy Era. McCarthyism is a term describing the intense anti-communist suspicion in the United States in a period that lasted roughly from the late 1940s to the late 1950s
He went on to earn a doctorate in history at Columbia University and accepted a teaching position at Spelman College, in Georgia, where he became acquainted with historian and civil rights activist Howard Zinn. Columbia University is a private University in the United States and a member of the Ivy League. Spelman College is a four-year liberal arts women's college located in Atlanta Georgia. The State of Georgia ( is a state in the United States and was one of the original Thirteen Colonies that revolted against British rule During the summer of 1964, Lynd served as director of the SNCC-organized Freedom Schools of Mississippi. The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (or SNCC, pronounced "snick" was one of the principal organizations of the American Civil Rights Movement Freedom Schools were temporary alternative free schools for African Americans mostly in the South. After accepting a position at Yale University, Lynd relocated to New England, along with his wife, Alice, and their three children. History See also History of New England New England's earliest inhabitants were Algonquian -speaking Native Americans including the
Vietnam-era activism
It was during his tenure at Yale that Lynd became an outspoken opponent of the Vietnam War. The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War, or the Vietnam Conflict, occurred in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia [1] His protest activities included speaking engagements, protest marches, and a controversial visit to Hanoi, which cost him his teaching position at Yale. Hanoi ( Vietnamese: Hà Nội Hán Tự: 河[[wikt 内|内]], estimated population 3398889 (2007, is the Capital of Vietnam As the protest movement became increasingly violent, Lynd began to have doubts about the values and practices of the New Left. The New Left were the Left-wing movements in different countries in the 1960s and 1970s that unlike the earlier leftist focus on union activism instead adopted a As a self-described "social democratic pacifist", he became more interested in the possibilities of local organizing. Social democracy is a Political ideology of the left and centre-left
Labor activism
In the late 1960s, Lynd relocated his family to Chicago. Chicago (ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ is the largest City by population in the state of Illinois and the American Midwest of the United States. There, he struggled to make a living from community organizing. Meanwhile, he and his wife, Alice, embarked upon an oral history project dealing with the working class. Oral history can be defined as the recording preservation and interpretation of historical information, based on the personal experiences and opinions of the speaker Working class is a term used in academic Sociology and in ordinary conversation to describe depending on context and speaker those employed in specific fields or types The conclusions of this work, titled Rank and File, inspired Lynd to study law in order to assist workers victimized by companies and left unprotected by declining labor unions. A trade union or labour union is an organization of workers who have banded together to achieve common goals in key areas such as wages hours and working conditions forming In 1973, he enrolled at the University of Chicago law school, where he earned a degree in 1976. The University of Chicago is a Private university located principally in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago.
Rust Belt activism
From there, the Lynds relocated to Youngstown, Ohio, in the heart of the Rust Belt. Youngstown is a city in the US state of Ohio and the County seat of Mahoning County. The Rust Belt, sometimes called the Manufacturing Belt, is an area in parts of the Northeastern United States, Mid-Atlantic States, and portions of the He proved to be a vital participant in the late 1970s struggle to keep the Youngstown steel mills open. Steel Mill was one of Bruce Springsteen 's early bands and performed regularly on the Jersey Shore, in Virginia, and also in California from 1969 Despite the ultimate failure of those efforts, the Lynds have continued organizing in the Youngstown-Warren area. [2] Staughton Lynd has remained extremely active as an attorney, taking on a broad range of cases, including those concerning disabled and retired workers.
Lynd's newest book, Lucasville, is an investigation into the events surrounding the 1993 prison uprising at Southern Ohio Correctional Facility, and voices serious concern over the integrity of legal proceedings subsequent to the event. A prison riot is a type of incident that occurs in the Prison environment The Southern Ohio Correctional Facility is a maximum security Prison in Lucasville, Ohio, United States.
Lynd still maintains an active Ohio law license.
Notes
References
- Thomas G. Fuechtmann, Steeples and Stacks: Religion and Steel Crisis in Youngstown (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1989).
- Scene Magazine, Cleveland, Ohio, May 23, 2002.
- Supreme Court of Ohio Record
- Zinn, Howard (1999). A People's History of the United States, 1492 - Present. New York: HarperCollins Publishers.
Related Links
Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic