{"product_id":"the-magnificent-mays-a-biography-of-benjamin-elijah-mays","title":"The Magnificent Mays: A Biography of Benjamin Elijah Mays","description":"\u003cp\u003eA comprehensive biography of a dedicated civil rights activist and distinguished South Carolinian  Civil rights activist  writer  theologian  preacher  and educator  Benjamin Elijah Mays (1894-1984) was one of the most distinguished South Carolinians of the twentieth century. He influenced the lives of generations of students as a dean and professor of religion at Howard University and as longtime president of Morehouse College in Atlanta. In addition to his personal achievements  Mays was also a mentor and teacher to Julian Bond  founder of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee; future Atlanta mayor Maynard Jackson; writer  preacher  and theologian Howard Washington Thurman; and the Reverend Martin Luther King  Jr. In this comprehensive biography of Mays  John Herbert Roper  Sr.  chronicles the harsh realities of Mayss early life and career in the segregated South and crafts an inspirational  compelling portrait of one of the most influential African American intellectuals in modern history.  Born at the turn of the century in rural Edgefield County  South Carolina  Mays was the youngest son of former slaves turned tenant farmers. At just four years of age  he experienced the brutal injustice of the Jim Crow era when he witnessed the bloody 1898 Phoenix Riot  sparked by black citizens attempts to exercise their voting rights.  In the early 1930s Mays discovered the teachings of Mohandas Gandhi and traveled to India in 1938 to confer with him about his methods of nonviolent protest. An honoree of the South Carolina Hall of Fame and recipient of forty-nine honorary degrees  Mays strived tirelessly against racial prejudices and social injustices throughout his career. In addition to his contributions to education and theology  Mays also worked with the National Urban League to improve housing  employment  and health conditions for African Americans  and he played a major role in the integration of the Young Mens Christian Association (YMCA).  With honest appreciation and fervent admiration for Mayss many accomplishments and lasting legacy  Roper deftly captures the heart and passion of his subject  his lifelong quest for social equality  and his unwavering faith in the potential for good in the American people.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44954988216373,"sku":"ByrdShop_161117077X","price":45.24,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9781611170771.jpg?v=1770294563","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/the-magnificent-mays-a-biography-of-benjamin-elijah-mays","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}