Freedom Summer: The 1964 Struggle for Civil Rights in Mississippi by Susan Goldman Rubin (review)

Everyone knew that heading into the deep South to urge disenfranchised blacks to claim their right to vote would be fraught with danger. The 1964 Mississippi Summer Project organizers, drawn from a coalition of civil rights groups, trained their fresh-faced volunteers to withstand beatings and cautioned them to have bail money pre-arranged. The possibility of death, acknowledged but still remote, turned to reality when three volunteers—Michael Schwerner, James Chaney, and Andrew Goodman—were arrested, released, ambushed, murdered, and buried on June 21st, when the project had barely begun. Rubin’s account of the infamous Mississippi summer skillfully follows two intertwined threads: the murders and subsequent investigation, with its crafty maneuvering on both the local and federal levels; and the Project’s full-speed-ahead implementation of education programs and community centers, with the group’s focus on literacy, civic engagement, and ultimately, voter registration. The expansive cast of characters may be a bit overwhelming, but the wealth of intimate family photos, scenes of local activity, and line and watercolor sketches by observer Tracy Sugarman help put faces to the names and make the high stakes for both residents and volunteers all the more tangible. Extensive back matter, also illustrated, includes a timeline, document reproductions, source notes, bibliography, pictures credits, and index.