CRMA
Civil Rights Movement Archive
Monthly Newsletter
July 1st, 2025
Table of Contents
News
Our Sister Sites
Announcements
Website Report
Top Ten Most Viewed
New CRMA Video & Audio
New Movement Documents
New Letters & Reports
New Stories & Narratives
Activist Roll Call, New Names
In Memory, New Tributes
New Poems
New Photos, Art, & Posters
Recent Books
News
"Those who control the present, control the past and those who control the
past control the future." — George Orwell
Suppressing, distorting, and denying freedom movement history is an essential
element in the MAGA regime's campaign to "Make America Great Again," by
dismantling the human and civil rights progress of the last century and
reinforcing white-supremacy.
Their goal is to create a propaganda version of history. To that end, they are
scrubbing words like "racism," "injustice," "inequality,"
and "oppression," from government websites. Federal agencies are
eliminating or obscuring the contributions of Black and other nonwhite
Americans and national parks have been ordered to remove or cover all
"inappropriate content" by September 17. Pre-eminent writers and thinkers of
color are being purged from libraries, museums, and monuments. Centers and
historic sites that chronicle racism and movements for racial justice are
being defunded, and under threat of losing federal funding school districts
across the country are eliminating ethnic studies courses.
We of the Civil Rights Movement Archive and our Sister
organizations in the Movement History Initiative stand against the MAGA
regime's Orwellian censorship and distortion of our history. We remain
committed to freely-providing to everyone an up-from-below,
inside-out, and lives-lived, perspective on the Civil Rights and
other freedom and social-justice movements that shaped — and
continue to shape — American history and culture to this day.
"The [MAGA Regime] is in a hurry to bury not only America's future but also
its past. Burying futures usually involves burying the truths of
history." — Ibram X. Kendi.
Please Donate.
With a Little Help From Our Friends,
We'll keep on keeping on.
Ever since we established the CRMA (originally known as "CRMVet") in 1999, it
has been almost entirely funded by personal donations from Freedom Movement
veterans and individual supporters. We carry on this work with almost zero
institutional support, foundation grants, or philanthropic contributions. So
if you find our CRMA site useful and worthy, please click
donate to keep us alive and growing.
You can donate via check, your bank's Bill Pay service, or
PayPal. Thank you for anything you are able to contribute.
Our Sister Sites
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SNCC Legacy Project (SLP). SLP preserves and extends SNCC's legacy.
Although SNCC the organization no longer exists, we believe that its legacy continues and needs to be brought forward in ways that continue the struggle for freedom, justice and equality today. |
 |
SNCC Digital Gateway (SDG). A joint project of SLP and Duke University,
SDG tells the story of how young activists in SNCC united with local people in the South to build a grassroots movement for change that empowered the Black community and transformed the nation. |
 |
Black Power Chronicles. The SNCC Legacy Project created the Black Power Chronicles (BPC) in 2015
to help fill the informational void that exists in our historical record about the impact of the Black Power Movement in local communities throughout America. |
 |
SCOPE 50. Preserving Civil Rights and the Story of Voting. Website of SCLC/SCOPE project activists. |
 |
Veterans of the Mississippi Civil Rights Movement. Empowering the next generation, passing it on to carry it on
by preserving the history of the Mississippi Movement. |
 |
Movement History Initiative, John Hope Franklin Center, Duke University. |
 |
Teaching for Change and Zinn Education Project.
Provides teachers and parents with the tools to create schools where students learn to read, write, and change the world by promoting and supporting the teaching of people's history in middle and high
school classrooms across the country. |
Announcements
SNCC & Grassroots Organizing
Discussion Series. Spring, 2025. SNCC veterans and humanities scholars
explore SNCC's organizing work and its connections to life, community, social-
justice struggles today. In-Person and Live-Streamed.
From Protest to Power Podcasts . SNCC Legacy
Project (SLP). The central theme of these visual podcasts is the ongoing
effort of the Black community to achieve the power to define its existence in
America.
Movement Art: If you are aware of any works of art related to the
Freedom Movement such as paintings, drawings, murals, statues, and so on,
please take a look at our Civil
Rights Movement Art page to see if we already have an image of it in our
collection. If it isn't included in our collection please email us an image we
can post, or a weblink, or some other information that we can use. Thanks.
Movement Materials: Please continue to email to us documents, letters,
reports, stories, and other Southern Freedom Movement materials from the
period 1950-1970. See Submissions details.
Website Report
As of July 1st, our online archive contained 11,221 viewable pages, documents,
images, and recordings, 486 videos in our Vimeo video channel, and listings
for 696 Freedom Movement veterans.
According to Google, there were 16,996 visits to the CRMA website during June
for an average of 567 per day, which is roughly 17% more than June of last
year. This relatively low overall number of visitors reflects our traditional
summer-doldrums when most U.S. schools are out of session.
Roughly 26% of our visitors came from outside the U.S. in June. On average
over the course of a year, international users make up 15%-20% of our users.
We are proud that our Freedom Movement of the 1960s is still of interest to
people around the world and that our site still stands as a free, publicly-
available, un-censored international information resource.
Top Ten Most Viewed
According to Google, our top-ten, most-visited sections and individual
pages in June.
(Note that Google does not count how often PDF files are accessed. Since most
of our documents are in PDF format, the "Top Ten" lists are not all that
accurate.)
Sections, Landing & Reference Pages
- Site Search: Civil Rights Movement Archive
- Freedom Movement Bibliography
- Poems of the Civil Rights Movement
- Civil Rights Movement History 1950-1970
- Freedom Movement Photo Album
- About the Civil Rights Movement Archive
- Civil Rights Movement Web Links
- Roll Call of Freedom Movement Veterans
- Documents: Selma Alabama and the March to Montgomery 1963-1965
- Our Words, Articles & Speeches
Individual Pages & Documents
- The Other America, Dr. Martin Luther King. (1967)
- Civil Rights Movement History: 1961 (Freedom Rides, MS voter registration, Albany GA)
- Photo Album: We're Going to March in St. Augustine (1963-1964)
- Photo Album: The Freedom Rides (1961)
- Civil Rights Movement History: 1960 (student sit-ins)
- Photo Album: The Children's Crusade: Birmingham (1963)
- Photo Album: The Sit-Ins—Off Campus and Into Movement (1960)
- Poems of Langston Hughes
- Louisiana Voter Application and Literacy Tests
- Photo Album: Freedom Movement in Art
Top Ten Sections & Pages That Others on the Internet Link To
Google reports that out on the global internet there are 20,304 backlinks to
materials on our site by people, organizations, grade-schools, and
universities using us as a trusted information resource. The Top-Ten linked to
pages are:
- Freedom Movement Bibliography
- About the Civil Rights Movement Archive
- Civil Rights Movement Web Links
- Roll Call of Freedom Movement Veterans
- Are You "Qualified" to Vote?—Literacy Tests & Voter Applications
- Poems of the Civil Rights Movement
- Civil Rights Movement History 1950-1970
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- Our Stories & Interviews
- Bay Area Veterans of the Civil Rights Movement
Our CRMA Video
Channel on the Vimeo hosting service provides videos created by Freedom
Movement veterans (or their immediate families) and videos created by others
that are substantially about Movement veterans. When you visit the channel,
please consider adding yourself as a "follower" for social-media metrics.
Thanks.
New Videos Posted in June:
Joseph Ellwanger, interviewed by Blackside. Re Birmingham AL, Selma to Montgomery March. 1988. 28 min.
Harry Briggs, Jr., interviewed by Blackside. Segregated schools, Briggs v. Elliott, retaliation. 1985. 10min.
Harry Briggs, Sr, Eliza Briggs, interviewed by Blackside. Segregated schools, Briggs v. Elliott, retaliation. 1985. 25 min.
John Daniels, interviewed by Blackside. Montgomery Bus Boycott and carpool. 1979. 5 min.
Annie Devine, interviewed by Blackside. Chaney, Schwerner, and Goodman, Mississippi Freedom Summer of '64, SNCC. 1985. 8 minn.
Marian Wright Edelman, interviewed by Blackside. Malcolm X, Robert Kennedy, Bob Moses, Poor People's Campaign, Martin Luther King, SNCC. 73 min.
Johnny Jackson, interviewed by Blackside. Lowndes County, AL, SNCC, Stokely Carmichael, Bob Mants, Selma to Montgomery March of 1965. 1988. 20 min.
Josephine Mayes, interviewed by Blackside. SNCC, Lowndes County, AL, voting rights, Tent City. 1998. 12 min.
Leola Montgomery, interviewed by Blackside. Brown v. Board of Education ruling, Topeka KS. 1985. 11 min.
Rev. James Smith, interviewed by Blackside. 1988. Memphis sanitation workers' strike, Martin Luther King. 1988. 13min
Emory Harris, SNCC Freedom Singer, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, 1962-65. 2007, 37 min.
Matt Jones, SNCC Freedom Singers, Danville, Virginia. 2005. 35 min.
Bob Mants, SNCC, Lowndes County, Americus Georgia, Selma-to-Montgomery March, Southwest Georgia Project, history of the movement. March 2, 2006. 67 min.
Bob Mants, SNCC, Lowndes County, Americus, Georgia, Selma-to-Montgomery March, Southwest Georgia Project. March 4, 2006. 67 min.
Bob Moses, SNCC, COFO, MFDP, Freedom Summer. 2006. 25 min.
John O'Neal, SNCC field secretary, Free Southern Theatre. 2005. 34 min.
| 1947 | Memo and program, fifth annual CORE conference. George Houser, CORE. Chicago IL. June 13, 1947 |
| 1947 | Memo re legal representation of CORE protesters, Palisades Park NJ segregation protest. Franklin Williams, NAACP. August 8, 1947. |
| 1949 | Memo to Herbert Hill of NACCP re nonviolence workshops in Washington DC. George Houser, CORE/FoR. 3/30/49 |
| 1948 | A Brief History of the Coordinating Committee for Social Action, NYC anti-segregation actions at Rockaway Beach. Unsigned. Undated (assumed 1948). 5 pages. |
| ???? | Six Point Program. Unsigned SCEF. Undated (possibly early 1960s) |
| 62? 63? | Prospectus for the White Southern Student Project. Kay ?ollar SCEF. Undated (possibly 1962-64). 3 pages. |
| 1963 | Report to CORE National Action Council. Patricia Stephens Due, CORE. 9/7/63. 3 pages. |
| 1964 | Report: Work Since Fall '63 Board Meeting. Anne Braden SCEF. Undated (possibly April 1964). 3 pages. |
| 1964 | Letter to supporters, by Hattiesburg summer voluneers. COFO. Undated summer 1964. |
| 1964 | COFO injunction against Sheriff Rainey et al. Kinoy, Kunstler, & Peeples. Documents. Summer 1964. 77 pages. |
| 1964? | Memo: Bob Zellner article for Southern Patriot. Unsigned SCEF. Undated (possibly November of December 1964). 6 pages. |
| 1965 | A Call to Action, Commission on Religion and Race (NCC). In support of voting rights and the MFDP Congressional challenge. Undated (probably June or July 1965). 3 pages. |
| 1966 | Declaration of Independence From the Principles of the Democratic Party of Mississippi. By MFDP leaders & candidates. Undated 1966. |
| 1966 | Emergency Bulletin: Primary Elections re white-racist violence related to Mississippi primary election. MFDP. 5/28/66. |
| 1966 | Mississippi Primaries: the Aftermath. Unsigned MFDP. Undated (probably June 1966) |
WATS & Phone Reports (Log of daily phone-in reports)
SNCC May 1, 1964. Hattiesburg legal & jail, Grenada MS, Nashville TN
SNCC May 1, 1964. Nashville TN protest, John Lewis.
SNCC May 5, 1964. Meridian MS arrests Mickey Schwerner, Nashville TN protests, John Lewis.
SNCC May 6, 1964. Jackson MS. Police harrassent of COFO, Bill Light, Hunter Morey arrests.
SNCC May 6, 1964. Meridian, Hattiesburg, Jackson, Natchez, Canton, Greenwood, Grenada.
SNCC May 7, 1964. Nashville TN, arrests, Larry Rubin, Alvin Packer.
SNCC May 9, 1964. Halifax Co. NC J.V. Henry. Arrests and injunction, literacy test. Nashville TN, arrests
SNCC May 9, 1964. Cincinattie OH, red baiting SNCC.
Vietnam War, Military Draft, & GI Movement Documents
Documents from the Northern Wing of the Movement
| 12/10/64 | Joe & Nancy Ellin | Letter to editor Kalamazoo MI Gazette challenging statements by Attorney General Katzenbach re Civil Rights Movement and the South. 3 pages. |
| 2/1/65 | Mary Sue Gellately, SNCC | Dear Friends re SNCC project in Shaw Mississippi. 2 pages. |
New Letters & Reports From Mississippi Freedom Summer
| 6/64 | Dear Diane and Susan, Joe/Nancy Ellin. Early impressions. Undated (probably late June or early July) |
| 6/28/64 | Dear Mom & Dad, Joe Ellin. Letter from on the road to Mississippi |
| 6/30/64 | Dear Dr. & Mrs. Ellin, Nancy Ellin. Arrival in Hattiesburg |
| 7/3/64 | Dear Mom & Dad, Joe Ellin. First days in Hattiesburg & freedom school. |
| 7/8/64 | Dear S and D, Joe/Nancy Ellin. Hattiesburg freedom school |
| 7/9/64 | Dear Mom & Dad, Joe Ellin. Hattiesburg project |
| 7/9 | Report on Hattiesburg freedom schools. Unsigned (possibly Joe or Nancy Ellin) |
| 7/10 | Letter to editor Kalamazoo MI Gazette, Joe & Nancy Ellin. Freedom Summer in Hattiesburg. 3 pages. |
| 7/13/64 | Dear Nancy and Joe, letter from Patrick. Thoughts & encouragement |
| 7/16/64 | Dear Joe and Nancy, note from Linda about GOP convention and freedom school books |
| 7/29/64 | Dear Mom & Dad, Joe Ellin. Life and work on Hattiesburg project. 3 pages. |
| 8/1 | Letter to editor Kalamazoo MI Gazette, Joe & Nancy Ellin. Freedom schools in Hattiesburg. 4 pages. |
| 7/22 | Letter to President Johnson re situation in Hattiesburg. Joe & Nancy Ellin. |
| 8/15/64 | Dear Joe and Nancy, note from Arthur about support work for the MFDP Atlantic City challenge in Connecticut |
| Harry Briggs, Jr | Interview for Eyes on the Prize by Blackside re Segregated schools, Briggs v. Elliott, retaliation. 1985. 6 pages |
| Harry Briggs, Sr. & Eliza Briggs | Interview for Eyes on the Prize by Blackside re Segregated schools, Briggs v. Elliott, retaliation. 1985. 15 pages |
| John Daniels | Interview for Eyes on the Prize by Blackside re Montgomery Bus Boycott and carpool. 1979. 3 pages |
| Annie Devine | Interview for Eyes on the Prize by Blackside re Schwerner, Chaney, and Goodman, Mississippi Freedom Summer of '64, SNCC. 1985. 4 pages |
| Marian Wright Edelman | Interview for Eyes on the Prize by Blackside re Malcolm X, Robert Kennedy, Robert Moses, Poor People's Campaign, Martin Luther King, SNCC. 1988. 47 pages |
| John Jackson | Interview for Eyes on the Prize by Blackside re Lowndes County AL, SNCC, Stokely Carmichael, Bob Mants, Selma to Montgomery March of 1965. 1988. 17 pages |
| Josephine Mayes | Interview for Eyes on the Prize by Blackside re SNCC, Lowndes County AL, voting rights, Tent City. 1998 pages |
| Leola Montgomery | Interview for Eyes on the Prize by Blackside re Brown v. Board of Education, Topeka KS. 1985. 8 pages |
| Rev. James Smith | Interview for Eyes on the Prize by Blackside re Memphis sanitation workers' strike, Martin Luther King. 1988. 7 pages |
No new names added to the Roll Call this month
No new memories or tributes added this month
And We Rise: The Civil Rights Movement in Poems
Freedom Is a Constant Struggle
Selma, Lord, Selma
Freedom Movement Art
Recent Books by or About Movement Veterans:
Spell Freedom: The Underground Schools That Built the Civil Rights Movement.
Atria/One Signal Publishers (Simon & Schuster) March 2025. The little known
story of how four activists in the 1950s created and built a semi-clandestine
network of Citizenship Schools across the Jim Crow South. A network that
formed a foundation for the Freedom Movement's voting rights battles of the
1960s. Septima Clark, Esau Jenkins, Bernice Robinson, and Myles Horton of the
Highlander Center.
Mississippi's Black Cotton.
By MacArthur Cotton and John Obee, foreword by Nikole Hannah-Jones. University
of Georgia Press. May 1, 2025. A personal history of the 1960's Mississippi
Civil Rights Movement by SNCC Field Secretary MacArthur Cotton, who lived it.
If Anybody Should Ask
You ... This Is What Happened: A Memoir, by Gwendolyn J. Dennis-Mack.
2024. The personal story of an African American high school girl who joined
the movement of young people to desegregate American classrooms in Deep South
Georgia.
More Voices
of Civil Rights Lawyers: Continuing the Struggle, by Kent Spriggs.
Stories and descriptions by 23 Civil Rights Lawyers about their struggles to
advance and maintain human rights in the United States South.
Putting
the Movement Back Into Civil Rights Teaching, Second Edition. By
Menkart, Murray, and View. 2024. Lessons, quizzes, images, essays, articles,
primary source documents, and poetry, to help teachers go beyond a "heroes and
holidays" approach to teaching about the Freedom Movement in K-12 classrooms.
The focus is on people of color, women, youth, organizing, culture,
institutional racism, and the interconnectedness of social
movements — Desegregation of Public Spaces, Voting Rights,
Black Power, Labor and Land, Transnational Solidarity, and Student
Engagement.
Unlawfully Incarcerated At Age Thirteen, by Emmarene Kaigler Streeter,
2024. Personal story of one the "Stolen Girls of the
Lee County Stockade
arrested in Americus GA, and imprisoned in 1963.
Marching in Montgomery, by John J. Hartman. IPBooks. 2024.
First-hand account by a participant of the March 1965 voting rights protests
in Montgomery Alabama in support of the movement in Selma AL.
Ma Lineal: A Memoir of Race, Activism, and Queer Family, by Faith
Holsaert. Memoir of NYC childhood, SNCC in Southwest Georgia, and raising her
own children in the coalfields of West Virginia.
The Rise and Fall of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, by
Martin Oppenheimer. Native Publishers, 2024. Concise history including the
historical antecedents, the Greensboro sit-ins, Freedom Summer, the violence
of KKK and police, and its demise around 1973.
As always comments, suggestions, corrections, and submissions from Freedom
Movement activists are welcome. Veterans of the Southern Freedom Movement who
are listed on the website's Roll Call are encouraged to contribute to the
website their stories, thoughts, documents, and memories & tributes of those
who have passed on by emailing them in to us.
If you're not already a subscriber to the monthly email version of this
newsletter, send us your email address and let us know you'd like to be added
to the list. To unsubscribe (heaven forfend!) do the same.
— Bruce Hartford
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