Corinne L. Gaile

Fifty years ago Selma, Alabama, became the focus of a campaign to register African American voters. Dr. Martin Luther King, joined forces with the student organization, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), which had been working on voter registration in Selma since 1963.

Although the Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlawed voter discrimination, the southern states continued to prevent African Americans from voting by refusing to register them. Unfair and often ridiculous requirements, from having to pay a tax, to reciting portions of U.S. and state constitutions, were mandatory for blacks who tried to register. The state of Alabama, under Governor George Wallace, was determined to prevent blacks from voting. Only two percent of Selma’s African Americans succeeded in registering to vote.

On February 18, 1965, an Alabama State Trooper shot and killed protester Jimmie Lee Jackson when segregationists attacked a small group of people peacefully demonstrating for the vote. SNCC and Dr. King organized a 54 mile march from Selma to the state capital in Montgomery to protest Jackson’s murder.

A group of 600 protesters set out on Sunday, March 7. As soon as they crossed the Edmund Pettis Bridge, the Alabama State Troopers attacked savagely on foot and horseback, shooting teargas and wielding clubs on the peaceful protesters. The troopers pushed the protesters back across the bridge, beating them mercilessly while news reporters broadcasted the story around the world. They called it Bloody Sunday.

Outrage over Bloody Sunday drew people from all over the country to Selma to support the marchers. On March 9, King led another march but turned back, fearing an attack. That evening a group of segregations brutally beat James Reeb, a young minister from Boston who had joined the protesters. He later died of his wounds.

George Wallace tried to prevent the protesters from getting a permit to march, but a U.S. district court judge overruled him and a new march was planned. President Johnson went on television to pledge support for new voting rights legislation.

On March 21, 2,000 people set out to walk from Selma to Montgomery, protected by U.S. army federal troops and the Alabama National Guard. They traveled 12 hours per day and camped out in fields along the way. On March 25, the protesters arrived in Montgomery and joined forces with additional supporters, swelling their numbers close to 50,000. After Dr. King delivered a speech at the State Capital Building, the marchers tried to deliver a petition to Governor George Wallace, but refused to appear. They presented the petition to his secretary instead. Later that evening, members of the Ku Klux Klan murdered Viola Liuzzo while she was driving marchers back to Selma. Liuzzo was a mother of five from Detroit who had come to Alabama to support voter registration.

That August, Congress passed the Voting Rights Act which guaranteed blacks the right to vote and banned practices that prevented voter registration. This legislation made it possible for blacks to elect African American officials to represent them.

I continue to be amazed and proud of the ordinary people who fought for freedom and justice in our country. Take some time to remember these brave Americans. You can learn more about the Selma marches at http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/selma-montgomery-march

Walter Dean Myers

Writer Walter Dean Myers died last month at the age of 76 on July 1. He wrote books for children of all ages, including picture books and non-fiction, but was especially known for his Young Adult literature.

He wrote over 100 books during a career that spanned 45 years and received every major award in his field including two Newbery Honor awards, three National Book Award Finalists, and six Coretta Scott King awards. In 2012 he was appointed the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature and served for two years.

Walter Dean Myers was born in West Virginia. He moved to Harlem, in New York City, at a young age and considered Harlem to be his beloved home. Many of his books are set in Harlem neighborhoods.

Although challenged with a speech impediment and poor grades, Myers was an avid reader, and that love of reading led him to a career as a writer. His books encourage young people to overcome difficulties and never give up, a message that he often took to incarcerated teens in detention centers.

He will be missed, but we can look forward to three up-coming books: Juba! ( April, 2015),  a novel for teens based on the life of an African American dancer, On a Clear Day (September, 2014), and a graphic novel adaptation of his novel Monster.

To learn more about Walter Dean Myers and find a good book to read, check out his website: http://walterdeanmyers.net/  Whether you are interested in adventure, biographies, Harlem, history, music, poetry, sports, war, or writing, with so many books to choose from, you are bound to find something wonderful.

Freedom Summer, also known as The Mississippi Summer Project, was launched fifty years ago this month. In June, 1964 over one thousand out of state volunteer college students, mostly white, joined thousands of black Mississippians in a campaign to register black voters in the state of Mississippi, which had the lowest number of African American registered voters in the country.

At that time, even though they had the right to vote, southern states prevented blacks from voting by making it extra difficult to register. African Americans were singled out to pass literacy tests or pay a poll tax before they could register to vote. Black Mississippians were required to fill out a 21-question registration form and be prepared to answer a question from any section of the state constitution. African Americans were also intimidated and threatened with violence if they registered to vote.

In many parts of Mississippi, African Americans had large populations and were in the majority, but since they could not vote, they could not influence their governments and remained powerless to change things. That is why it was so important to get them registered.

SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee), and COFO (Council of Federated Organizations), sponsored Freedom Summer. In addition to registering voters, they established the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, and brought in doctors, nurses and other medical students and professionals to teach health education. They also set up over 30 Freedom Schools, which taught thousands of children basic literacy, math, black history, and civil rights, in a creative and positive atmosphere.

Freedom Summer was a dangerous undertaking. During the summer, four civil rights workers were killed, three Mississippi blacks who supported the civil rights movement were murdered, four people were critically wounded, 80 Freedom Summer workers were beaten, 1,062 people both out of state and locals were arrested, and 30 black homes or businesses, as well as 37churches were burned or bombed.

On June 21, 1964 three young men, James Chaney a black Mississippian activist and member of CORE (Congress of Racial Equality), Michael Schwerner, a Jewish CORE member, and Andrew Goodman, a Jewish volunteer, were arrested and held in jail until night. Soon after the police released them, the three were abducted and killed by members of the Ku Klux Klan. A search that eventually involved the FBI discovered the bodies of the three men on August 4, 1964. In the fall of 1964, the FBI arrested 19 men as suspects for the murders, but all were set free. It wasn’t until 1967 that seven of the men were tried, convicted and sentenced to 3-10 years.

Although they failed to register many voters, the seeds of Freedom Summer took root in Mississippi and all over our country. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 gave nationwide protection for voters and outlawed literacy tests. It also required some states, which were guilty of preventing blacks from voting, have any changes to their election laws receive federal approval. In 1980s and 90s, thanks to African American voters, Mississippi elected more black officials than any other state. The Freedom Schools inspired educators all over the country. Last year when I went to the 50^th Anniversary of the March on Washington, I met teacher from a Freedom School operating now in Rochester, New York.

On June 25, 2013, the Supreme Court struck down a part of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that required some states to get federal approval for changes to election laws. Also, several states have passed laws that require voters to have a photo ID in order to vote. Some people feel that these two things will once again make it difficult for African Americans and other minority groups to vote.

If you would like to know more, a movie about Freedom Summer will air on television on PBS, The American Experience – 6/24/14 9pm. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/

 Check out http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/freedom-summer for more information about Freedom Summer.

Read:  Freedom Summer and Revolution, the Sixties Trilogy by Deborah Wiles

I hope that you all have a wonderful summer. While you are out having fun, remember the brave people who spent their summer bringing freedom to Mississippi, fifty years ago.

Colin Sprung displays his school project, an impressive 3-D book report on Fearless Freedom. Colin drew a picture of Bernice Givens at a civil rights protest holding a picket sign. He listed some of his favorite characters in the book and wrote a report on the story. GREAT JOB COLIN!

I had a terrific time on Thursday night, reading and discussing my book, Fearless Freedom, at The Studio @ 620. After a wonderful introduction by founder and Artistic Director, Bob Devin Jones, I took to the podium. I had a great audience who asked great questions. We had some spontaneous go-go dancers inspired by soul music from the early sixties. Thanks to everyone who came.

My next event is this Thursday. I will be reading from my book Fearless Freedom this Thursday. Meet me and other local authors for readings, discussion, and book signing at the Self Pub Open House, December 19, 7 pm at Inkwood Books, 216 S. Armenia Avenue, Tampa, Florida.