Novel chronicles 'Deacons' who came before Panthers :: 08/16/2011

The Rev. Dr. L. LaSimba Gray, pastor of New Sardis Baptist Church, has just published a book entitled "The Deacons For Defense and Justice," which tells the story of brave African-American men in Bogalusa, La., who armed themselves to protect their community from extremists such as The Ku Klux Klan.

Gray spent 20-plus years researching and interviewing the men who were involved in the Deacons For Defense organization.

"They are the unsung heroes of the Civil Rights Movement," Gray said. The history of the Deacons includes defended Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in southern towns where his life was threatened. It is a true story of African-American men fortified by the Second Amendment right to bare arms choosing to defy the brutality of racist law enforcement officers and civilians.