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Greetings Friend,
“When
you are in Mississippi, the rest of America doesn’t seem real; and when you
are in the rest of America, Mississippi doesn’t seem real,” Robert “Bob”
Moses, who was the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) project
director for Mississippi from 1961-1965, once remarked of the state.
Because
Mississippi is known for its anti-black violence, racist codification in
law of discrimination, and the denial of basic citizenship rights, change
in Mississippi was brought on through arduous, dangerous struggle,
particularly during the year of 1964. That was the year when Bob Moses
spearheaded a movement to change Mississippi, which would be called the
Mississippi Summer Project. “Freedom Summer” in Mississippi not only
changed the state, but also changed America by taking on four major issues:
gaining and securing voting rights, quality public education, opportunity
for work and fair pay, and healthcare.
The summer of 2014 marks
the 50th anniversary of this historic time. Tougaloo College, the
Veterans of the Mississippi Civil Rights Movement (VMCRM), the Mississippi
State Conference NAACP, and One Voice are collaborating on a campaign
entitled, “Mississippi: We Are Freedom Summer.” This campaign will include
a series of issue-area convenings, a Constitutional ballot initiative campaign,
and ongoing community organizing trainings for students and volunteers;
including a week long gathering at Tougaloo College where participants will
discuss and strategize around how to continuing the work from 50 years ago.
This campaign is an effort to ignite new energies and call to action on the
following human rights issues: voting rights, quality public education for
all children, workers’ rights, and access to affordable healthcare.
Visit our
website and learn more about Mississippi Freedom Summer 50th.
And please
consider registering to join us June 25-29, 2014, in Jackson, MS.
MS Freedom Summer 50th Planning Committee,
www.freedom50.org
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click on the "Sign-Up Now" button below.
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