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Excerpt from Oral History Interview with Nelle Morton, June 29, 1983. Interview F-0034. Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007) See Entire Interview >>

Goal of the Fellowship of Southern Churchmen

Here, Morton very briefly describes the goals of the Fellowship of Southern Churchmen. Primarily, Morton explains that the Fellowship sought to push Southern churches towards a more radical stance on issues of race, particular in relationship to segregation.

Citing this Excerpt

Oral History Interview with Nelle Morton, June 29, 1983. Interview F-0034. Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007) in the Southern Oral History Program Collection, Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Full Text of the Excerpt

DALLAS A. BLANCHARD:
What was the significance of the Fellowship. What was it really trying to do? . . . 056
NELLE MORTON:
Well, I think, as I saw it . . . (and there's no theory in application here) it's [unclear] that I've ever known. That it . . . that was dynamic, in its theory and action, I mean, there was no separation there. But primarily, I think, it was trying to take the . . . its faith seriously, and it was one of the three groups that I mentioned earlier that finally was very much concerned to work through the churches, and pushed the churches to a more radical stand. And of course that was the time, that was before, that was when we had segregation . . . ah, by law.
DALLAS A. BLANCHARD:
Yes,
NELLE MORTON:
And the church, it seemed to most of us, was dragging its feet pretty much.
DALLAS A. BLANCHARD:
At that time, in many of the churches, you were a radical liberal if you were for segregation instead of slavery.
NELLE MORTON:
I think there were . . . I think there were individual churches that were, and when I came into the Fellowship, a whole community seemed to be, you know, a part of it.