A Call to Action

Aaron Henry was the president of the Mississippi NAACP from 1960-1994. He played a pivotal role in Mississippi civil rights, uniting Black people of all ages, ideologies, and social classes to fight white supremacy. In 1962, Henry helped to form the Council of Federated Organizations (COFO)--a massive, statewide organization composed of other organizations such as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), and many more.

Henry became president of the COFO, and worked with other civil rights activists, such as Rev. R. L. T. Smith, the treasurer; David Dennis, the Mississippi Director for CORE and co-director of the voter registration program; Robert Moses, the other co-director of the voter registration program as well as an activist leader and teacher. These four activists, along with many other men and women, all worked together within the COFO to organize what came to be known as "Freedom Summer of 1964."

Mississippi Freedom Summer began as a mock election held in November of 1963 called the "Freedom Vote". The mock election was held to prove Black voters would cast their ballot if given the chance; it was a rousing success with more than 80,000 Black people casting their vote. In 1964, "Mississippi Freedom Summer" took off with the goal to register as many Black voters as possible and to teach Black Students in Freedom Schools. The movement garnered nearly a thousand volunteers to teach in the Freedom Schools and help organize the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party.

In order to recruit a large number of volunteers and voters the word needed to be spread. One way in which this was done was through letters written by the COFO and sent across Mississippi. These letters were a call to action; to fight for freedom.

"We need your help NOW! We need to hear your voice NOW in the struggle for Freedom in our state and in America. We cannot STOP! The Council of Federated Organizations (COFO) is pushing ahead."

The COFO announces the first step in the fight for freedom is an all-out poll tax and voter registration drive. They explain that in order to vote, you must be registered and have paid your poll tax. While this sounds like common sense nowadays, in the 60s many Black people didn't know what steps to take due to the countless hurdles set by the state. For this reason, letters such as this were crucial. Henry explains how to fight for Freedom in three simple steps:

1. Pay your poll tax!
2. Go to the county courthouse and REGISTER TO VOTE!
3. Pass the word to your friends, church, and clubs. Bring several friends with you when you go to the courthouse.

Knowing exactly what to do in order to vote alleviated confusion and anxiety that would otherwise prevent people of all backgrounds from casting their vote. Moses believed political power began with voter registration and required wide participation from the local black community (Jensen and Hammerback 130), and, according to Dennis, stated, "No one owns Freedom Summer. Freedom Summer belongs to the people."

Thanks to the efforts of heroes like Aaron Henry, Robert Moses, and R. L. T. Smith, changes such as the Voting Rights Act came about, and Black people were able to fight for their freedom.