Civil Rights Movement Archive (CRMA)
New & Announcements
June 1st, 2021
According to Google, 30,876 people visited the CRMA website during May for an
average of 996 per day. Since the majority of our traffic comes from students
(grade school and college), June will begin our traditional summer doldrums of
reduced traffic. Roughly 14% of our visitors came from outside the U.S.
— Bruce Hartford, Webspinner.
Please Donate.
With a Little Help From Our Friends,
We'll keep on keeping on.
Ever since Bay Area Veterans of
the Civil Rights Movement established the CRMA (formerly known as
"CRMVet") in late 1999, it has been funded by personal donations from Freedom
Movement activists and individual supporters. We carry on this work without
any institutional support, foundation grants, or philanthropy contributions of
any kind. So if you find our CRMA site useful and worthy, please click here to
make a donation to keep us
alive and growing. Thank you for anything you are able to contribute.
Please consider converting your PayPal donation to an automatic monthly
contribution by checking the "Make this a monthly donation" box on the amount
screen when it pops up.
Sister Sites
SNCC Digital
Gateway. SNCC Legacy Project & Duke University. Tells the story of
how young activists in SNCC united with local people in the Deep South to
build a grassroots movement for change that empowered the Black community and
transformed the nation.
SNCC Legacy
Project (SLP). SLP was begun to preserve and extend 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 liberty.
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.
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.
Chicago SNCC History
Project. Tells the Stories of Chicago Area Friends of SNCC (CAFSNCC),
its relationship to SNCC, it's pivotal role in shaping the fight for freedom
in Chicago between 1960-1965, and preserves that history as a legacy for the
young people who are continuing the fight for freedom, justice and peace.
SCOPE 50.
Preserving Civil Rights and The Story of Voting. Website of SCLC/SCOPE project
activists.
Announcements
Emergency
Health Appeal for Freedom Movement Veteran Shirley Green-Reese, a
living kidney donor for her is desperately needed.
GoFundMe Donation Appeal
for SNCC veteran Hardy Frye who
is seriously ill and needs round-the-clock health care. For Additional Information.
Organizing Our Strength for Tomorrow: A Call to Gather on SNCC's 60th
Anniversary
A virtual online gathering, October 14-16, 2021
SNCC 60th Anniversary Conference.
Freedom Movement Videos. We want to build up our list of
Online Films and Videos. They must
be publicly available online and be made by, or be about, or feature Movement
veterans — or document some aspect of the Civil Rights
Movement of the 1950s and 1960s from an up-from-below and
inside-out movement point of view. (Note that we're not looking for mass-media
stories or short newsclips.)
If you know of a film or video that you think we should include in our list,
please email us the following information:
• URL (e.g: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUSU1M9acbI)
• Title (e.g: "Interview with Junebug Jabbo Jones")
• Creator name (e.g: "Julian Bond Oral History Project, American
University")
• Year (e.g: "2011")
• Short description (e.g: "Junebug Jones describes his early
Freedom Movement involvement.")
FREEDOM RIDERS: The Civil Rights Musical is getting a cast album in
partnership with Broadway Records and New York Theater Barn. The album is
being
crowdfunded .
In conjunction, a second album of all freedom songs from the movement
(performed by the FREEDOM RIDERS cast) is also being created in partnership
with the Freedom Riders National Monument. The album is inspired by the
Nashville Sit-In Story album that was created in 1960.
Now Available: It's in
the Action: Memories of a Nonviolent Warrior. Personal memoir and
observations by C.T. Vivian, one of the central figures in the Freedom
Movement. From student sit-ins to the Freedom Rides to the battles for voting
rights and a fair share of political and economic power, C.T. was on the
ground in the action.
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 1951-1968. If you have paper-based materials, please make good quality
photo-copies and postal mail them to us for scanning and uploading (see
About Us for postal address).
| 1962 | Notice: Revocation of welfare benefits Bolivar County MS. October 26, 1962 |
| 63? 64? | The Democratic Party In Mississippi report, MS. unsigned (COFO?). Undated (could be '63 or '64) |
| 1963 | Report on James Venable and Wally Butterworth re the KKK , Jerry DeMuth, SNCC. Undated (possibly mid-1964) |
| 1964 | Petition to the Mississippi Governor opposing segregation, MS, undated 1964. Usigned (possibly Jackson NAACP) |
| 1964 | Plans for Action at National Democratic Convention, January 16, 1964. Unsigned, COFO |
| 1964 | Notice: Revocation of welfare benefits Bolivar County MS. May 14, 1964 |
| 1964 | Mississippi's Unknown Murder (Louis Allen), Julian Bond & Jerry DeMuth, SNCC. Spring or summer 1964 |
| 1964 | A Southern Hero Returns Home re Byron De La Beckwith who assassinated Medgar Evers, Jerry DeMuth, SNCC. April 23, 1964 |
| 1964 | A Guide to Mississippi, Jerry DeMuth, SNCC. 1964 |
| 1964 | Closed Politics in Mississippi re Blacks barred from participating in Democratic Party meetings and votes, Jerry DeMuth, SNCC. Undated 1964 (probably July) |
| 1964 | The eagerness of students attending the Freedom Schools, Jerry DeMuth, SNCC. 1964 (probably July) |
| 1964 | The Regular and Lawful Democratic Party of Mississippi report on the white-only "regular" Democrats, Jerry DeMuth, SNCC. June 1964 |
| 1964 | Freedom School teacher Pam Parker (Chude Allen) describes the school, Jerry DeMuth, SNCC. 1964 (probably August) |
| 1964 | Report on the Committee of One Million Caucasians, calling for a KKK racist mass rally. Jerry DeMuth, SNCC. May 19, 1964 |
| 1964 | Advertisement for caucasian mass rally against civil rights, unsigned KKK? July 4, 1964 |
| '64? '65? | U.S. Code Title Two: legal basis for MFDP congressional challenge in the House of Representatives election, MFDP reprint from United States Code. Undated (possibly late 1964 or early 1965) |
| '64? '65? | Ways to Line Up Congressional Support for the FDP Challenge, MS. Unsigned, MFDP. Undated (possibly late 1964 or early 1965) |
| 1965 | Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, Betty Garman, SNCC. Undated 1965 |
| 1965 | Federal Programs Research Work, DC, unsigned, SNCC |
| 1965 | Bringing the Struggle Home, Jerry DeMuth, SNCC. 1965 |
| 1965 | Selma: Changing Tactics, re segregationist strategies, Jerry DeMuth, SNCC. Undated 1965 |
Press Releases
Documents from the Northern Wing of the Movement
| 3/18/1962 | James Laue | Letter from Harvard student to Diane and James Bevel re thesis interview, (MS) |
| 3/19/1962 | Tom Rose | Letter to James Laue re information for a book on Negro students, (MS) |
| 5/2/1962 | Jean Young, SNCC | Letter to Jim Bevel re Diane Bevel's arrest in Jackson and organizing a woman's protest |
| 6/19/1962 | Bobby Talbert, SNCC | Note to Diane Bevel re protest arrest on post office steps (federal property), (MS) |
| 9/16/63 | Joyce Barrett, SNCC | Dear Friends, appeal from Americus GA for emergency aid |
| 1/5/65 | Unsigned COFO/MFDP | Hello Outside World!, report from Holly Springs MS |
| 1966 | John Buffington, SNCC | Note to Lucy Montgomery requesting money to repair bus for West Point MS project |
| 1/10/66 | Abner J. Mivka | Telegram to Georgia governor from Hon. Abner Mivka (D-IL) opposing refusal to seat Julian Bond |
| 1/11/66 | Oberia Holliday, MFDP | Announcement and appeal re West Point MS sewing co-op |
| 1/12/66 | Ann Cook, SWAP | Announcement from Friends of Student Woodlawn Area Project, Chicago, IL |
| 1/19/66 | Denise Nicholas, FST | Letter to Lucy Montgomery re research into Black drama at the Shomberg Library |
| 1/26/66 | Lowell Sachnoff, TTP | Letter to Ken Montgomery re Turn Towards Peace strategy and future |
| Charleana Cobb | Interview re Mississippi Movement and Freedom Summer, by Gloria Xifara Clark (MS). 1995 |
| Aaron Henry | Notes on conversation with Aaron Henry, Jerry DeMuth, August 3, 1964 |
| Mrs. Aaron Henry | Interview by Jerry DeMuth, August 2, 1964. MS |
| Don Jelinek | Interview re Mississippi movement and legal work, by Rachel Reinhard, (MS) 2004 |
| Gayle Jenkins | Interview by Mimi Feingold (Bogalusa, LA), 1967  |
| Kay Tillow | Interview by David Cline re the freedom and labor movements, 2011.
PDF transcript Video + bio & metadata  |
| Walter Tillow | Interview by David Cline re SNCC & the movement in Geogria, 2011.
PDF transcript Video + bio & metadata |
Affidavits of Repression, Retaliation & Violence
| 1964 | Affidavit of Larry Rubin, Arrests of COFO workers on suspicion of burglary, May 14, 1964 |
| 1964 | Affidavit of Benjamin Small, re police harassement for attending freedom Rally, in Madison Co. MS. May 23, 1964 |
| 1964 | Affidavit of John Bacon, re police harassement for attending freedom Rally, in Madison Co. MS. May 23, 1964 |
| 1964 | Affidavit of James Bennett re police harassement for attending freedom Rally, in Madison Co. MS. May 24, 1964 |
| 1964 | Affidavit of Stokely Carmichael, Arrest of Stokely Carmichael and Charlie Cobb, June 25, 1964 |
| 1964 | Affidavit of Charlie Cobb, re arrest of him and Stokely Carmichael, June 25, 1964 |
| 1965 | Affadavit of Rev. J.D. Rayford, re police harassment of voter registration efforts in Coahoma Co. MS. 1965 |
| 1962 | Tennessee: How to Keep People From Voting , Jerry DeMuth. Gazette & Daily, York PA. December 8, 1962 |
| 1963 | Race in the Land of Lincoln (Cairo IL), Jerry DeMuth. Commonweal, April 5, 1963 |
| 1964 | Christian Reflections on Issues Posed by the Racial Crisis, multiple authors. Social Action (published by the Council for Christian Social Action of the United Church of Christ), May 1964 |
| 1964 | SNCC: Collegians vs The Klan, Jerry DeMuth. Rogue Magazine, August 1964 |
| 1964 | Violence in Mississippi, Jerry DeMuth, SNCC. August 1964 |
| 1964 | 'Criminal Syndicalism' in Mississippi, Jerry DeMuth, SNCC. Texas Observer, November 13, 1964 |
New Tributes & Memories added to In Memory
| No new memories or tributes added this month |
No new answers added this month.
New Additions to Poetry
The Poetry section is one of the most-visited parts of the
site.
| No new poems added this month. |
New Additions to the Photo Album Pages:
Martin Luther King Interview,
by Merv Griffin Show. Eleven minute mass-media interview. 1967.
John Lewis interview,
by Ellen DeGeneris show. Six minute interview about Black Lives Matter
protests and current civil rights issues. 2020.
Joan Trumpauer Oral History Interview (two hours),
by John Dittmer, Smithsonian Institute National Museum of African American History & Culture. 2013.
Recent Books, Films, & Videos by Freedom Movement Veterans
BOOKS:
It's in the Action:
Memories of a Nonviolent Warrior, by C.T. Vivian with Steve
Fiffer. NewSouth Books, 2021. Personal memoir and observations by one of the
key central figures in the Freedom Movement. From student sit-ins to the
Freedom Rides to the battles for voting rights and a fair share of political
and economic power, C.T. Vivian was on the ground in the action.
Fire at the Freedom
House, by Matt Rinaldi. 2021. Personal memoir of a white activist
working Attala County, Mississippi, in 1966 under the organizing direction of
the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP) led by Lawrence Guyot and Mrs.
Fannie Lou Hamer.
Julian Bond's Time to Teach:
A History of the Southern Civil Rights Movement, by Julian Bond,
Danny Lyon, Pamela Horowitz, & others. Beacon Press (2021). History &
analysis of the Freedom Movement based on Julian's course lecture notes and
his personal insights.
My Race to Freedom: A Life in the Civil
Rights Movement, by Gwendolyn (Gwen) Patton. NewSouth Books, 2020.
Autobiography & Movement memoir by a long-term stalwart of the Freedom
Movement — Montgomery Bus Boycott & Montgomery Improvement
Association, student sit-ins, Freedom Rides, student activism at Tuskegee,
voter-registration and rural organizing, Selma and the March to Montgomery.
Year Forever in my Veins, by Faith
Holsaert. Backbone Press, 2020. Chapbook of poems growing out of letters home
to mother and sister during year working with SNCC in Southwest Georgia.
Our Sixties,
by Freedom Movement veteran Paul Lauter. University of Rochester Press, 2020.
Examination of the values, exploits, victories, implications, and failings, of
the "Movement" in the 1960s. Includes chapters about Freedom Summer of 1964,
Natchez in the summer of 1965, and a community school in DC, 1966.
Voices from the Mississippi Hill Country ~ The Benton County Civil Rights
Movement, by Roy DeBerry, Aviva Futorian, Stephen Klein, and John
Lyons. University Press of Mississippi, 2020. History of the Benton movement
and personal narratives of local Freedom Movement participants.
A Small Town Rises: A Sharecropper and a College Girl Join the Struggle for
Justice in Shaw, Mississippi, by Lee Anna Sherman with Movement
veterans Eddie Short and recent college grad Mary Sue Gellatly. Bog Lily
Press, 2020. Chronicles the lives of two civil rights activists who met in the
tiny cotton-town of Shaw during Freedom Summer and joined forces with local
black activist Andrew Hawkins and a host of courageous townspeople to
challenge and disrupt the status quo in the heart of the Mississippi Delta.
Tip of the Arrow: the Selma Student Nonviolent Movement, a Study in
Leadership, by Charles Bonner. Page Publishing, 2020. An
"up-from-below" and "inside-out" examination of, and personal
narratives by, the young students of Selma Alabama who from 1963 to 1965 were
the tip of the nonviolent arrow in the fight for freedom and equality. Charles
Bonner, the author, was one of the main student leaders and then a SNCC field
secretary. Today he is one of the boldest civil rights attorneys in
California.
Race Man: Selected Works,
1960-2015, by Julian Bond. City Lights Publishers; 2020).
FILM & VIDEO:
Son of the South
a film based on Bob Zellner's autobiography, The Wrong Side of Murder Creek. 2021. The story of
how a White Southerner, from a KKK background made the decision to join the
Civil Rights Movement as the first white field secretary for SNCC.
SNCC (Trailer).
A 2020 film by SNCC photographer Danny Lyon that brings together never seen
made during the years he was employed as the staff photographer for the
Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. The images are layered with
archival audio recordings of speeches by, and conversations with, John Lewis,
Julian Bond, Dotty Zellner, among others, as well as freedom songs that were
recorded by Alan Ribback in churches and meetings in Atlanta in the 1960s and
recently rediscovered.
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 to
webmaster@crmvet.org.
Copyright ©
Webspinner:
webmaster@crmvet.org
(Labor donated)