Sheriff tells 'poignant story of the 'real south during the '60s.

Book Release of: Great Courage -- The First Black Sheriff Elected in the South Since Reconstruction, an Autobiography by Lucius D. Amerson with A.E. Amerson

(PRWEB) June 25, 2004 -- With the release this week of the co-authored autobiography, Great Courage, the late Sheriff Lucius D. Amerson, with son A. E. Amerson document the true-life encounters and fast paced action associated with the late Amersons initial term in office as Sheriff of Macon County in Tuskegee, Alabama (1967). Sheriff Amerson served five four-year terms until retirement in 1987.

The book is being marketed as one of the forgotten civil rights story of the 20th century. Amersons historic election over an incumbent white sheriff gained national media attention in 1966. The election marked the first time an African-American was elected as sheriff in the Deep South since the Reconstruction period. Amerson attributed his election to the recently passed Voters Right Act of 1965 along with support from student activists at Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University) and rural residents of the county.

Sheriff Amos" as he was called by residents of the county was a Korean War veteran, who became known for his no-nonsense" and up in your face" style of law enforcement. He enforced the law fairly and equally, regardless of color. The book highlights intimate details of Amersons arrest of white law enforcement officers for beating an unarmed African-American man, a shoot-out that ensued at the jail facility and several near death experiences during his twenty-year tenure as sheriff. Great Courage also documents the little known history of the office of sheriff as well as a profile of other African-American sheriffs across the United States.

Publisher hoping to bring this true-life story to film or television.