Boyte was born in North Carolina in 1911. He graduated from Elon College in North Carolina, and pursued graduate studies in political science at American University and the London School of Economics. In 1942 Boyte joined the American Red Cross and traveled extensively, while simultaneously being involved in numerous aspects of the civil rights movement. In Monroe, N.C., Boyte and his family hosted Freedom Riders and lent support to local NAACP leaders.
In 1963, Boyte began working for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., as a field secretary with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, where he was the first white man on the staff. Boyte was later involved in desegregation efforts in Atlanta. He served as chairman of HOPE, Inc. (Help Our Public Schools) and as Executive Director of the Greater Atlanta Council on Human Relations. He was also instrumental in organizing an Atlanta chapter of the Unitarian Service Committee.
Boyte died in 1977.
Subject headings
Greensboro (N.C.) -- Race relations;Protest movements -- United States
Topics
Business desegregation, protests, and marches, 1963
Place
Greensboro (N.C.)
Description
This June 13, 1963 letter from Harry G. Boyte to North American Newspaper Alliance editor Sid Goldberg details an altercation Boyte had with Greensboro Police Department Captain William Jackson while taking notes for a news article on local demonstrations for the North American Newspaper Alliance. Boyte writes that he feels Jackson was out to get him after he was arrested for participating in a Thanksgiving 1962 protest. He also shares his feelings on the importance of discussing civil rights in North Carolina, and what he feels is the impending future of the civil rights movement.
Type
text
Original format
correspondence
Original dimensions
8.5" x 11"
Original publisher
[Place of publication not identified] : [publisher not identified]
Language
en
Contributing institution
Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library, Duke University