William M. King
A primary source–rich account of the founding of the National Council for Black Studies, "Of Our New Day Begun" is both a personal and institutional story. Through a composite of personal recollection and historical research, author William M. King recounts the story of the people, events, and processes involved in the prelude, formation, and initiation of the council through the first five years of its existence.
In "Of Our New Day Begun" King fuses two separate and distinct stories: the story of the creation and evolution of the Black Studies program at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte, and the story of how the specific needs of that program—especially accreditation—led to the creation of the NCBS. For the first part of the story, King relies on Bertha Maxwell-Roddey's 1974 doctoral dissertation, supplemented with additional archival documents and conversations. The second part of the story is based primarily on King’s memories, files, and research as one of the founders of NCBS, supplemented by interviews; materials from the NCBS archives; local, regional, and national newspaper accounts; and additional secondary materials.
Part memoir and part institutional history, "Of Our New Day Begun" is also a story about how to build an institution during times of social change. A reconstruction of the sights, sounds, ideas, and birth pangs King witnessed and experienced and the meanings he has come to make of them, this work is a significant contribution to the story of race and race relations in the United States during the mid to late twentieth century.
