Student Activism and Civil Rights in Mississippi: Protest Politics and the Struggle for Racial Justice, 1960-1965

5. The Stalemated Movement

56 5 The Stalemated Movement The Civil Rights Movement has reached a stalemate in Mississippi. The State has successfully halted all direct action movements, large and small, by arresting the demonstrators and their leaders, setting huge bond fees, long-term jail sentences and extending the court cases. . . . In the wake of the demonstrations, the pressure against the Negro community is overwhelming. . . . Voter registration work has been agonizingly slow. The Negro communities are shot through with fears, from the “Metropolitan” Jackson community to the rural farm communities. —robert parris moses, summer 1963 W e have seen that the near-fatal shooting of Jimmy Travis on February 28, 1963, drew voter registration workers from all of the civil rights groups in the state to Greenwood in early March in order to launch a frontal attack on the local power structure. They refused to let the enemy think the civil rights movement could be intimidated by violence, even if isolated African Americans could. The confrontation in Greenwood let African Americans in the Delta know that they would not be deserted, and it informed the white community that the movement was serious in its attempt to smash the closed society and free its people. This holding operation lasted out the summer successfully, although Medgar Evers was murdered in Jackson. And even though violence and intimidation continued to mount, the movement was not to be stopped. When voter registration became too slow, and too dangerous, a new approach to the “Mississippi iceberg” was sought. (See chapter 6, “The Birth of Protest Politics.”) The monolith began to crack during 1963, although it was not apparent to the casual observer. National concern for African Americans was mounting. It was also found that, after the initial penetration of a new area, there was normally a period of violence against the movement, which then leveled off and was replaced by tension. Nevertheless, it was not necessary for the the stalemated movement 57 movement to be present for violence to occur, and such violence pushed the movement to find new and creative ways to attack the closed society, although at times the violence became so rampant that it was difficult to do more than search for ways to survive White Mississippi’s attack. In 1963, the Mississippi movement operated in three primary areas: Greenwood , Clarksdale, and Jackson. The first, Greenwood, had been the principal theater of action in the state in late winter and early spring, although civil rights activity went on there throughout the year. The second, Clarksdale, would provide Dr. Aaron Henry as the candidate of the movement for the November gubernatorial “Freedom Vote.” The third area, Jackson, would be the scene of mounting turmoil, leading up to the assassination of Medgar Evers in June and the subsequent riots. Greenwood Again Dave Dennis, CORE field secretary for Mississippi and an official in COFO, commuted between Jackson, Greenville, and Greenwood during March 1963. He reported the mounting tension in Greenwood in the following excerpted field report, which he filed with his national office in New York: March 19: Miss Fay Bennett, Mr. Charles Butts, and I went to Greenwood . There we had a meeting with the workers where a discussion was held on techniques of getting aid from the Federal government and putting pressure in the right places. . . . March 20: I helped in the distribution of food to over 500 people in Greenwood. On this day over 75 people attempted to register. . . . March 27: . . . Bob Moses and ten other workers from SNCC were arrested on charges of “Breach of the Peace.” The night before, Mr. Greene’s home was shot into by white hoods. Bob Moses, James Forman, and other workers had drawn up a resolution asking for protection from harassment and intimidations. They then, along with other citizens, went down to the Mayor’s office to discuss the matter. Upon their arrival they were met by policemen and a police dog. . . . James Forman and Lawrence Guyot were arrested. The other people then proceeded to the courthouse to register. Bob and the other workers returned to the church, where distribution of food and clothing was taking place. Approximately 100 people were there. Bob and the other workers began to talk to the people about voter regis- 58 student activism and civil rights in mississippi tration when they were approached again by the police officers. The group refused to disperse and therefore was...