American Historical Ephemera and Photography

8 7/8 x 5 7/8 in. printed handbill on green-gray paper (toning to margins, slight surface loss near top left portion partly affecting text, light edge wear).

Racist handbill decrying the effect of "negro records" on white youth: "The screaming, idiotic words, and savage music of these records are undermining the morals of our white youth in America...Don't Let Your Children Buy, or Listen To These Negro Records."

The Citizens' Council, also known as the White Citizens' Council, was formed in Indianola, Mississippi, following the United States Supreme Court's landmark 1954 Brown v. Board of Education ruling. Formed initially by white supremacists and segregationists in Mississippi, the organization established additional chapters throughout the south in later years. Council members often included prominent white citizens such as businessmen, law enforcement, publishers, lawmakers, and civic and religious leaders. Council activities included voter suppression, economic harassment, publication of racist books, and the establishment of segregated schools. While the Citizens' Councils officially eschewed the public violence associated with the KKK, the two organizations worked closely together, and some Councils, including the Citizens' Council of Greater New Orleans, directly incited violence against members of the African American community.