If America Had Rightly Considered It

Robert Kerlin During the long Red Summer

Abstract

In 1921, Robert T. Kerlin, a white southerner and professor of English at the Virginia Military Institute was fired for his outspoken advocacy for African American rights. This paper examines Kerlin’s radical shift from a prejudiced, uninvolved figure, to a committed advocate, arguing that World War I and its aftermath catalyzed Kerlin’s shift in consciousness. It looks at contemporary newspaper accounts, speeches, and writings, as well as relevant secondary literature. Kerlin’s story offers a link between this period and the Civil Rights Movement that followed the end of World War II. By situating him within this transformative historical moment, this study sheds light on the potential for change to come from surprising areas.