50 Years Ago Today 3 Civil Rights Martyrs Died in Mississippi

I was just reminded that half a century ago in this nation's Apartheid, three young men were killed in Mississippi, one of our backwater racist states.

My family is from Brookhaven Mississippi, and as a teen I read in a Carl Rowan book about Lamar Smith a black man in my home town organizing black voters. He was murdered in front of witnesses in 1955 but no one came forward. I asked my grandmother about it and her answer was most telling about the terrorism that existed in parts of the United States in the 1950s and '60s. "We don't talk much about that here."

Here is the story about the three young men murdered on this day in 1964, as memorialized in "Free At Last" published by the Civil Rights Education Project of the Southern Poverty Law Center.

 

what a bitter world we live in .. :\

 

How extraordinary ... that people should think the very social fabric of their world was threatened by the fact that a man grew a beard!!!!

 

We tend to remember the Giants of/by media, though so many with quiet resolution and steadfast fight for the cause made the ultimate sacrifice for others - for to "let freedom ring"
In whatever country one resides within, the most recent history can make one ashamed.

 

The movie 'Mississippi Burning' follows this story loosely. Not too bad of a movie, But not all info in it.
I liked Mississippi when we went on vacation, Great state! The whole state seemed like the rest of the country, But with southern charm.
Its a shame events like this are not taught to kids in schools, To show how stupid some actions were so the mistake might not be made twice. But the media has more important shit to sling back and fourth than 3 dead Americans killed on their own soil! That's America for ya!

 

The 60s. So much shit hit the fan. Amazing time and I remember it well.

 

The movie was good, but left too much info out (as you stated). Still, I remember thinking: what sort of country is this I am living in? Quite disturbing. And the movie only told half the story...

QP

 

The thing that gets me, Is people either participated or turned a blind eye. Those who spoke up wound up in a ditch! I can see in some small town, Such as mine, The stupidity that can occur.
I never understood singling out a certain color/orientation etc and purposely cause bodily harm. Too many other things going on that if they channeled the energy there, We wouldn't have so many problems.