back into Civil Rights Teaching
Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee veteran and Algebra Project founder Bob Moses was invited to speak at the 2016 Democratic Party platform hearing on June 18, 2016 about voting rights. He delivered testimony on behalf of the SNCC Legacy Project. The SNCC Legacy Project statement provides historical context and calls for a Constitutional amendment prohibiting infringement of full voting rights. View the […]
On March 5, 2016, the annual Local Mississippi History Awards were given at the Mississippi History Day competition at the University of Southern Mississippi. The goal of the award is to deepen student appreciation of and exploration of the untold stories and role of “everyday people” in local Mississippi history, using the National History Day competition as an incentive and […]
At the 2015 National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) conference in New Orleans, Mississippi Civil Rights Movement and Labor History Teacher fellow Anthony Golding and fellowship director Julian Hipkins III presented a workshop on the freedom movement in Mississippi. Hipkins began the session session by engaging participants in a critique of the traditional textbook narrative on the Civil Rights […]
Here are links to the readings for A Documents-Based Lesson on the Voting Rights Act: A Case Study of SNCC’s Work in Lowndes County and the Emergence of Black Power. We recommend printing the student readings to have as a reference as you read the lesson description. We have only included the text readings, not […]
This text is provided as background information for A Documents-Based Lesson on the Voting Rights Act: A Case Study of SNCC’s work in Lowndes County and the Emergence of Black Power by Emilye Crosby. The Civil Rights Movement utilized a range of tactics to address different problems. For example, nonviolent direct action was critical in challenging […]
Political context for the formation of the Lowndes County Freedom Organization (LCFO) Almost all white southerners in the 1960s were Democrats because their ancestors equated the Republican Party with the Emancipation of slaves and with the Radical Republicans who advocated for full citizenship for Freedpeople following the Civil War. (The meaning of Radical Republican has […]
In broad daylight, Thomas Coleman, a member of an elite white family in Lowndes, attacked a group of activists, shooting and killing Jonathan Daniels and critically injuring Richard Morrisroe, both white activists. Coleman was quickly acquitted by an all-white jury that accepted his claim of self-defense. The fact that the activists were released from jail […]
“Stand up for what is right even if you are the only one standing,” Hollis Watkins said to students in the Hip-Hop Detoxx session during the Veterans of the Mississippi Civil Rights Movement Inc. annual conference. The 10th anniversary conference from March 18-21, 2015 was a gathering of Civil Rights veterans, community activists, teachers, and students […]
McComb High School students had the honor of speaking with Freedom Rider Hezekiah Watkins by phone on February 7, 2015. Leading up to the call, students prepared a series of question to gain as much information as possible from Mr. Watkins. When Mr. Watkins was asked how he got involved in the Freedom Rides, he […]
“Carter Woodson described February as the time we celebrated what we learned about ourselves year-round. By his plan, our study starts March 1.” — Greg Carr How do you include Black history throughout the year? A good conversation to have with students is the significance of Black History Month in schools across the country. In […]