A Mobile gem spoke to a crowd of students in the Gautrelet Room on Feb. 8 about his new book, “A Hard Rain.”

Dr. Tom Ward, chairman of the history department and coordinator of this event, introduced journalist Frye Gaillard, stating that his book is “incredibly relevant to our country’s current issues.” The book, “A Hard Rain: America in the 1960s, Our Decade of Hope, Possibility, and Innocence Lost,” uniquely captures the point of views of a historian, a journalist and, more simply, a human being.

With a calm disposition Gaillard spoke about the turbulent era the book focuses on and read excerpts aloud to the audience.

It was 1963 in Birmingham, Alabama when Gaillard would look at the civil rights movement in a new light. He would be approximately two feet away when he caught a look of sadness from the dark, expressive eyes of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Gaillard would later become an influential writer during the movement. His book goes into great detail about the trials of the era and personal experience he felt that reflects the emotional state of millions of Americans.

The decade dealt with the Civil Rights, Vietnam, assassinations, feminism and many other movements. Gaillard said, “It was a fascinating time to be a journalist.” He would be a part of the first integrated class at Vanderbilt University, which led to frequent discussions about the issues of race and civil rights on campus. The man had seen it all from this decade, but he still felt that the lessons learned back then are important for today’s current generation. “I think we live in turbulent times now as well, divided times, and you can look back on things that my generation did right and wrong,” said Gaillard. “A lot believed that they let their anger get the best of them.” This book demonstrates the importance of fighting for what one believes in without demonizing the opposition.  

Gaillard spoke with an emphasis on being fair. He said, “One of the things that I came to believe is that it’s impossible to be a reporter with no emotion or opinion, but what you aim to do is be fair. The test of that, for me, was whether I would be comfortable with looking someone in the eye after they had read what I wrote. Especially, with someone I disagreed with. Fairness became more of a goal for me than clinical objectivity. I didn’t want to take cheap shots at anybody or stereotype anyone no matter what side they were on.” Gaillard interviewed people from the Ku Klux Klan, including the Grand Dragon. Even though they disagreed, Gaillard was adamant about capturing the opposite point of view and not demonizing him.

When asked about the book’s lengthy title, Gaillard explained, the title expectedly explains the diversity of the decade.

Hope

“The decade started out with such hope,” he said. “Young African American students sitting in at lunch counters believing that if they came there in their Sunday’s finest clothes and carried themselves with great dignity, and made the point that they were nonviolently seeking the simple rights that anybody ought to have, that America would be moved, and progress would be made. That was their great leap of faith. Their own dignity and nonviolence and sort of Christian love would be powerful enough to change the country. That’s a very hopeful thing.”

He went on to describe the contagiousness of this hope. It sparked other movements, women’s rights, gay rights, environmental rights. Gaillard described the decade as a “hopeful arc,” people believing that they could be a witness to truth and justice, and that the country had the ability to become better.

Innocence Lost

On the flip side, there was a darker and a more divisive story. Events like the Birmingham church bombing and Vietnam proved that America was not as innocent as most had thought. For Gaillard figures that had previously embodied hope were figures like Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy. He said, “They made me believe that we could overcome hardships. And then they were killed in 1968 and it was hard to believe things would get better.”

Possibility

The decade did end with a story unfinished. Gaillard explained Apollo 8, “This mission circled the moon and when they came out from the dark side they saw the earth rise,” he said. “They took a picture of the planet and were moved to talk about how we all inhabit the same planet. From this vantage point, some of our division seemed foolish.”

At the end of his lecture, students had the opportunity to purchase his book and have it signed. Jacob Lyons, a sophomore, said, “You read about these turbulent times in textbooks, but when you meet someone who lived through it, it adds a realness to it.”

As a favor to Spring Hill, Frye spoke for no charge and merely a passion to share his story with students. In an hour and a half, he shared his view of this diverse decade.