Mississippi+Burning

Type in CIVIL RIGHTS STRUGGLES IN MISSISSIPPI In June 1963, Medgar Evers, a famous Mississippi civil rights leader was assassinated. In February 1964, the Mississippi chapter of the Klu Klux Klan was founded. In June 1964, 400 college youth from Ohio went into the segregated South in order to register Black people to vote and to investigate a burned Black church there. Three of the college youths, two White and one Black, went to Mississippi and were murdered by the KKK within a day or two of arriving there. The case was covered up by the local sheriff and other officials and it took a few years to be settled in the Supreme Court because one local judge was himself racially biased. Mississippi was the absolute worst state in the South for cracking segregation, as other events will testify. The movie, "Mississippi Burning" starring Gene Hackman as the FBI investigator, is very disturbing to watch. It is based loosely on the actual case, but is worth seeing to keep the civil rights struggle in mind. Once again, freedoms enjoyed today were paid for with people's lives.

This has been an ongoing case and the main perpetrator was not actually given his justice until this past decade at age 79. A very interesting read about people who feel strongly that everyone is entitled to enjoy the same freedoms. by: kathomp07

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H ere are some interesting quotes regarding "The Mississippi Burning:" (caseyysmith12) 

"It' s ugly. This whole thing is so ugly. Have you any idea what it's like to live with all this? People look at us and only see bigots and racists. Hatred isn't something you're born with. It gets taught. At school, they said segregation what's said in the bible... Genesis 9, Verse 27. At 7 years of age, you get told it enough times, you believe it. You believe the hatred. You live it... you breathe it. You marry it."  - Wife of Deputy Pell "The old man was so full of hate that he didn't know that being poor was what was killing him." Agent Anderson  "These people crawled out of the sewers. Maybe the gutter is the place we have to be."  Agent Anderson 