From the Archive: The Fight for Rights

George Floyd • Vernon Jordan • Al Sharpton [View in your browser]( | [Update your preferences](newsletter=vf) [Vanity Fair Hive logo image]( From the Archive: The Fight for Rights With America embroiled in another battle over voting rights, Joe Biden last week [urged]( elected officials to get on the right side of history, [evoking]( the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. We’re also looking back on this holiday weekend, sifting through the V.F. Archive to reflect upon King’s work and past struggles for civil rights that feel especially timely today. So revisit Taylor Branch’s [penetrating look]( at the mix of activism and arm-twisting that led to historic legislation in the 1960s, along with Douglas Brinkley [on]( trusted King lieutenant Clarence Jones, Suzanna Andrews [on]( activist and MSNBC host Al Sharpton, and Marjorie Williams [on]( civil rights leader turned Clinton White House insider Vernon Jordan. Plus, [hear from]( Jesse Jackson, Sherrilyn Ifill, Muriel Bowser, Michael Eric Dyson, and more about the mass-protest movement that spread in the wake of George Floyd’s murder. Thanks for reading! [Hearts on Fire]( By [Taylor Branch]( [Following the Kennedy assassination, as Lyndon Johnson rallied his forces behind a historic civil rights bill, Martin Luther King Jr.’s battle for equality gathered strength across the South. In an excerpt from Pillar of Fire, the follow-up to his Pulitzer Prize–winning Parting the Waters, Taylor Branch recreates the drama of the struggle and the spirits of its warriors: FBI director J. Edgar Hoover, the blue blood firebrand Mary Peabody, and a courageous seamstress, Georgia Reed, who carried its greatest hopes.]( [Read more button]( [The Man Who Kept King’s Secrets]( By [Douglas Brinkley]( [Now 75, Clarence Jones, the galvanizing lawyer who was Martin Luther King Jr.’s trusted lieutenant between 1960 and 1968, has come out from the shadows of civil rights history. In a groundbreaking interview, he shares his untold tale: the secret missions, the FBI wiretaps, and the “real” Martin of those perilous, passionate years.]( [Read more button]( [Al Sharpton, Revisited]( By [Suzanna Andrews]( [The Reverend Al Sharpton has been many things to many people: a firebrand, an opportunist, an inspiration, a joke. Today, with race once again roiling America’s conscience, he is arguably the country’s most influential civil rights leader. As Sharpton reflects on his five-decade battle, the presidential election, his role as a political power broker, and the controversies he can’t shake, Suzanna Andrews learns about the anger that created and nearly consumed him.]( [Read more button]( [Clinton’s Mr. Inside]( By [Marjorie Williams]( [When the president picked civil rights leader turned high-priced lawyer-lobbyist Vernon Jordan as his unofficial ambassador to Washington’s power elite, the choice spoke volumes about both men. Marjorie Williams dissects Jordan’s unique status in the lily-white domain of corporate boards and exclusive clubs, and the roots of his drive to conquer that world.]( [Read more button]( [True Stories About the Great Fire]( By [Vanity Fair]( [In late May, as video of George Floyd’s murder spread across the nation, Americans defied the pandemic and rallied to the streets in what would become the largest protest movement in decades. The story of those early days is told here by those who rose up, those who bore witness, those who grieved, and those who hoped.]( [Read more button]( Get on the list Subscribe to our Hollywood newsletter for your essential industry and awards-season news, every day. [Sign Up Now]( [Condé Nast Spotlight | The breaking news and top stories everyone is talking about. All in one place. The most popular stories from Vogue, GQ, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, Wired, Architectural Digest and more. STAY INFORMED]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [LinkedIn]( This e-mail was sent to you by The Hive. To ensure delivery to your inbox (not bulk or junk folders), please add our e-mail address, vanityfair@newsletter.vf.com, to your address book. View our [Privacy Policy]( [Unsubscribe](newsletter=vf) Sent from Condé Nast, 1 World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007 Copyright © 2022 Condé Nast