Documenting The Movement: Voter Suppression, Aggression & Determined Resistance
Through the lens of The Student Voice “News Round Up”
Introduction:
The “News Round Up” section of The Student Voice, was a mainstay of the popular SNCC publication. The Round Up offered an at-a-glance look at the struggle for freedom around the country as well as the strategies and tactics used in various states and counties in an attempt to discourage, disrupt, and destroy the movement. Read these News Round Up excerpts published in The Student Voice during the summer of 1964.
The Student Voice, Atlanta, Georgia, June 2, 1964
WALTHAM, MASS.- Fifteen thousand dollars worth of staple foods is on the way to Mississippi to be distributed by SNCC’s emergency food relief program for Negro families in the delta.
Money for the food came from a “fast for Freedom” conducted when students in 40 northern colleges missed meals in their dining rooms. The plan was organized here by the SNCC backers at Brandeis University.
HALIFAX COUNTY, NC.- A 4 by 12 cross was burned here May 29th at the First Baptist Church during a voter registration Mass meeting. Reverend Clyde Johnson pastor is a candidate for County Commissioner in the May 30 primary election.
According to SNCC worker, J.V. Henry, there are more Negroes running for public office in this County than any other County in the South since reconstruction, Henry, 20, has been aiding a vote Drive which recently gained strength from a sweeping injunction against discriminatory practices by the registrar.
AMERICUS, GA.- The solicitor general of Americus, Georgia who admitted last fall he lodged Capital charges against three SNCC workers to deny them bail, will prosecute SNCC worker Don Harris here June 1 on riot charges made last summer.
Solicitor Stephen Pace Jr. seeks Democratic nomination for US Congress from Georgia’s 3rd District. Harris’ Negro attorney, C. S. King of Albany Georgia, is running for Congressional nomination in the second district. Harris, 23, was freed of insurrection charges which carries a possible death penalty when a special three-judge Federal panel was convened last November. He and two other SNCC workers spent 68 days in jail here as a result of Pace’s charges.
WELDON, NC.- A cross was burned in a yard of a negro church here 3 days before a county election that 11 Negroes are running in. The cross was burned at the First Baptist Church May 29th.
The Student Voice, Atlanta, Georgia, June 9, 1964
STAR CITY ARK.- Seven of the eight teachers on the High School faculty Of Lincoln County High School have been fired, apparently because they had been accused of associating with voter registration workers from the Pine Bluff movement and the SNCC.
One, 24-year old Marcus Mays, said Lincoln County Principal, Fulton Walker accused him of taking Pine Bluff movement chairman Rev. Benjamin Grinage into the school building located across the street from a home where SNCC workers live here.
The teachers, ranging in age from 24 to 50, received similar letters from County School Superintendent, Harold Tidwell. The letter said contracts for the seven were not being renewed “in the interest of Harmony and cooperation and for the general welfare of the program.” SNCC has been conducting a voter registration Drive in Lincoln County but SNCC workers say none of the fired teachers have been “especially active” in the registration push. SNCC worker, Bill Hansen, director of SNCC’s Arkansas project said the firings might trigger Integration suits at local white schools in Lincoln County.
The Student Voice, June 30, 1964
SELMA, ALA. – July 6th to July 10th will be Freedom Day in Selma and Dallas County SNCC voter registration workers will try to bring large numbers of negroes to the Dallas County Courthouse to register to vote during the First Freedom day here last year state troopers b-2s and CC workers who tried to talk to me Pros waiting in line to register SNCC Alabama Project Director John love has asked the federal government to provide protection for his staff and local Negroes during the upcoming registration attempt.
ATLANTA, GA.- Atlanta Georgia friends of SNCC and other civil rights groups in New York Chicago Philadelphia Boston and Cincinnati has staged protest demonstrations calling for Federal Protection of civil rights workers in Mississippi in Chicago Federal Marshals roughed up and arrested for murder as in CC chairman Marion Berry who helped organize the protest demonstrations here and in New York and Boston lasted throughout the night in each instance the protesters attempted to set the local federal attorney to present their demands to him.
The Student Voice, Atlanta, Georgia, July 15, 1964
ALBANY, GA – A Renewed effort at registering negro potential voters will be made here and elsewhere in the state in connection with recent passage of new election laws code which reopened registrar’s books in Georgia.
Don Harris 24 director of SNCC’s Southwest Georgia project said SNCC workers in the 22 counties of Georgia’s 2nd congressional district we’re devoting most of their time to a concentrated vote Drive. SNCC workers have been active in the campaign of attorney see became the first negro to run for US Congress in the state in modern times prior to an Ackman of the new code the deadline for registering to vote in the primary election was May 2nd the deadline is now July 20.
BROWNING MISSISSIPPI- A negro church located in the middle of an all-white neighborhood was burned to the ground after church members refused to sell to a white property owner.
Pleasant Plan Missionary Baptist Church burned while local firemen stood by and watched. SNCC workers Fred Mangrum and Edward Rudd said the cinder block structure was still burning at 6 a.m. on Saturday morning July 11
According to reports from the SNCC office in Greenwood, a Browning White man had asked church members to sell him the building and property. They refused, and the local sheriff told them the church would have to be moved.
The Student Voice, July 22, 1964
WASHINGTON, D.C.- The justice department was asked to confess Terror and its prosecution of 9 civil rights leaders and a petition hearing 7000 name presented to Burke Marshall here this week the petition charges Negroes are systematically excluded from federal jury in the south the nine were indicted by a Federal grand jury in Albany Georgia last year on perjury and conspiracy charges the government alleged that they had conspired to enter the business of white man of a white man who had served on a jury that returned a favorable verdict for a South Georgia Sheriff accused of shooting a negro all the defendants have been convicted and are appealing their cases one defendant is Joni Rabinowitz asnc see worker.
MOBILE, ALA- a justice department attempt to enjoying 20 8 white Wilcox County Alabama landowners from Banning from their property Negroes who participated in a Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee SNCC registration Drive was dismissed by a federal judge here on July 9th US District Judge Daniel Thomas gave the government until July 31st original petition the complaint said the 28 white men had prohibited and Nigro insurance agent Lonnie Brown from collecting insurance Premiums from Negroes living on the property.
WASHINGTON, D.C.- A six-month campaign by the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee SNCC to prevent government officials and others from appearing before segregated audiences in Mississippi appears to have scored a major success White House special counsel leave white circulated a memo this week or during officials of all federal agencies and departments to refrain from making speeches before racially segregated audiences the atlanta-based integration group had previously been successful in getting National Aeronautics and Space Agency head James Webb baseball star Stan Musial musicians Gary graffman David bar Ariane and Eleanor steber television stars of the Bonanza and The Beverly Hillbillies shows Jazz Trumpeter Al Hirt Congressman Robert mcclory Republican Illinois end college teacher John gassner Yale Walter Allen Vassar and Stephen Spender Northwestern to cancel appearances in Mississippi.
PHILADELPHIA, MISS.- Two white men 1 a summer volunteer will be in with chains a block from the city hall July 17 the to Daniel Perlman 23 of New York City and David Wells 28 of Detroit had left the office of a white Philadelphia street perelman received a large gash on his forehead from a chain and ran to the office of Philadelphia Sheriff’s rainy 4 help The sheriff sent a deputy who failed to make any arrests.
The Student Voice, July 29, 1964
McCOMB, MISSISSIPPI – Three churches have been burned to the ground here in the past week and another church near Jackson was destroyed by fire July 19th a total of 13 churches have been burned or bombs in Mississippi since the summer project began the most recent burning here occurred July 23 when the Rose Hill Baptist Church was burned down the Mount Vernon Baptist church burned July 22nd and the Zion Hill Baptist Church was destroyed July 17 neither church have been used for civil rights activity Christian Union Baptist Church in Madison County near Jackson burned July 19th
GREENWOOD , MISSISSIPPI- The first arrests under the 1964 Civil Rights Act were made here 23 when FBI agents jailed three white men charged with conspiring to injure oppress threaten and intimidate next word girl Silas McGee a local negro who tried to integrate a Greenwood movie theater according to a complaint filed before the US commissioner in Clarksdale the three men beat Mickey to prevent him from entering the theater.
AMERICUS, GEORGIA- A white snake worker was beaten by a white man after he registered to vote in the Sumter County Courthouse John Purdue 20 of Denver Colorado was punched the white man as he was leaving the courthouse the youth said he had little trouble registering after Sumter County Sheriff Fred Chappell confirmed that he had lives in the county for more than a year Chapel could identify Purdue because he had arrested Purdue and two other snack workers August 8th 1963 on charges of insurrection.
INDIANOLA, MISS.- 33 Ruleville Negroes celebrated the return of local leader misses Fannie Lou Hamer from a month-long speaking Tour by going to the Sunflower County Courthouse to register July 21 all 33 were processed by the registrar the latest attempt brought to 60 the number of negroes who has made registration tries since the summer project begin over 350 have been registered in the freedom registration for the freedom Democratic party in organization parallel in structure to the regular or all white Democratic party in Mississippi.
The Student Voice Atlanta, Georgia August 5, 1964
BRANDON, MISS.- The 14 Church burning since the summer project begin was reported here July 31st the Pleasant Grove Baptist Church on Highway 83 miles from here was burned to the ground unlike some recent Church burnings in the state Pleasant Grove had been connected with civil rights activity a mrs. Palmer whose grandfather built the church and was the first Pastor said she had made speeches about the Mississippi summer project at the church are the reports indicated however that there had been no civilized activity connected with the destroyed building fire officials from Brandon set the church was destroyed so badly when they arrived they could do nothing to save it churches have been burned in McCune jackson-madison County near Greenwood in Hattiesburg and Moss Point and Meridian the Mount Moriah Baptist Church was discovered July 30 burn to the ground deputy sheriff Alton Allen said there was no evidence of Foul Play there have been no arrests in any of the church burnings.
BATESVILLE, MISS.- Night Rider’s fire three shots passed the home of a negro who is housing to Volunteers in the Mississippi summer project July 31 Kathy a mock neck 20 volunteer reported the shots were fired around 11:30 no one was injured the owner of the home Robert Miles had received threats and on July 25 his home was tear gas during the past week 100 Panola County Negroes were registered the justice department was successful in initiating a Freeze suit in Panola demanding that the registration standards for whites and Negroes be the same.
GREENWOOD, MISS- Shots were fired into the snake office August 1 and a 93 lb Center volunteer was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon Harold cornfield 21 of Bayside New York was held under $1,000 bill in the left floor County Jail she allegedly threw a brick through the window of a store owned by Greenwood policeman slim Henderson Henderson pulled a pregnant woman along a Greenwich Street during a Freedom Day 2 weeks ago see you July 22 student voice three other local Negroes were also jailed August to any local volunteer worker John had handy was being in the jail August 1 handy who was charged with disorderly conduct said in a sworn testimony statement Greenwood policeman beat and kicked him and tore his 3 in beard out with their hands they threw me up against the concrete wall and he said I was wearing a rather long goatee they plucked it out With their hands smcc worker’s report Greenwood is very tense cars drive by the office during the night and policemen drive through the the Negro neighborhoods making arrests for little or no reason.
CARTHAGE, MISS.- A summer volunteer and a Iowa Minister were beaten in a doctor’s office near here July 31 John polowczyk the volunteer in Reverend Edward k Challenger from Des Moines Iowa reported they were attacked in the office of a white doctor in Madden 12 miles from here Reverend hellinger said the doctor asked him if he was staying with those Negroes in harmony where Community Center is being built by local Negroes while they were speaking hellinger said I was suddenly hit from behind at the same time they were hitting me with the 5th and the doctor was pushing me from the front into the people who were hitting me between 5 and 10 men did the beating he said both hunger and polacek were arrested and charged with disturbing the peace they were released on $100 Bond.
