To Do Justice: The Civil Rights Ministry of Reverend Robert E. Hughes
Randall Jimerson
In his new book, To Do Justice: The Civil Rights Ministry of Reverend Robert E. Hughes, author Randall Jimerson tells the story of a little known figure who played an important role in the advancement of the civil rights movement in Alabama. Robert E. Hughes, a white Methodist minister and Alabama native, became executive director of the Alabama Council on Human Relations in 1954. In that role, Hughes developed a friendship with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., and faced harassment from white supremacists such as members of the Ku Klan Klan, as well as those members of the Methodist Church who vehemently opposed racial integration. After being forced out of the ministry in Alabama, Hughes moved with his family to colonial Southern Rhodesia – which today is part of Zimbabwe – to work as a missionary. There, he also helped organize Black liberation groups. To Do Justice examines the intersection between race and religion through the life and legacy of Hughes, a man whose faith led him to a lifetime of fighting for justice and racial equality. (University of Alabama Press)