Celebration
Holly Springs Civil Rights Movement
September, 18-22, 2003

December 28 update:

Hello Civil Rights Veterans and Survivors!

I hope your holidays are finding you in good cheer or at least good health.

Remember to mark your 2003 calendars for the Holly Springs Civil Rights Celebration and Reunion: Arrive September 18. Events on the Rust College Campus with students joining us on Friday 9/19; more events and social time on Saturday 9/20. Church and time to visit friends on Sunday. VIsits to highschools on Monday the 22nd if you stay that long. Also, you will be able to be interviewed on tape for the oral history project at Rust and USM, while there if you choose.

Larry Rubin and I are going to Holly Springs in January to work out details: hotels, food, meeting space, transportation, participants. Remember the closest airport is Memphis TN, about 40 miles to HS. We will try to work out a deal with an airline, probably Northwest since they have good flights to Memphis.

Any further suggestions? Those of you who are working on presentations or projects please provide updates. Thanks!

Gloria Xifaras Clark
Holly Springs Correspondent

December 15 announcement

Brother and Sister civil rights workers,

Yes, there is a celebration of the Holly Springs civil rights movement in North Mississippi. It had a long and fruitful life in the 1960's.

Rust College which greeted us then is hosting the event in September 2003. (We thought there may be 40th reunions in '04 somewhere and we do not wish to collide with any.) SNCC sent its first worker, Frank Smith, there in 1962, followed by its second staffer, Larry Rubin. They were housed on the Rust College campus as were the women of Freedom Summer. The Freedom House lasted into 1967, we believe.

We have about 70 names and addresses. There were hundreds who came to Holly Springs and worked for a short time because it was the first stop into the state of Mississippi from Tennessee.

We still search for participants. We have contacts in the counties who are getting the word out, and 4 department heads at the college are participating and involving students.

If you know participants please pass on this information to me. Larry Rubin and I are the main organizers. I have been conducting oral history for several years and travel there twice a year.

Gloria Xifaras Clark