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WASHINGTON HEARINGS ON MISSISSIPPI
The Council
or
.
,
or
Federated Orginizationa (COFO), comprised
the Southern Ch~istian ~adership Conference, Congress of Racial
Equality, National Association for the Advancement or Colored
People, and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, 1•
planning a massive community improvement and education project
in Mississippi this summer.
This program calls for over a thou-
sand workers in Freedom Schools, community improvement centers,
and Negro voter registration drives, with similar projects in
selected white communities.
We anticipate hundreds
or
volunteers including ministers,
teachers, lawyers, artists, and college students to join us in
this program which llB as its goal an improvement in the standard
or_living
of whole communities ot depressed pers,ns in M1ss1s~ipp1.
We have been accused of planning this proje t to instigate
rioting, chaos and confusion in Mississippi.
Th:t,J 1s
not so,
and it is our hope that the project will take plaoe in an atmosp
phere of justice and order.
Whenever there 1s violence in Mississippi it has always
been our workers and local Negroes who have been the v1ot1ms. and
we have learned through bitter experience tha~ oUl" workers can
expect no protection from the law enforcemen~ bodies in that st&te.
They are~ in effect, attempting to work in a hoatUe envu-onment
without benefit ot the normal protection that our society gives
1ts citizens.
or
As a matter or fact, there h~ recently ;-een a wave
P<>llce-1nap1red v1ol~nce against our wh11:e workers in the state.
Because ot M1ss1ss1pp1•s violent record we are conoer.1~ ..
•
~
'41,.
'
a.bout the ph-yai.cal aatety of' Summer PX'oj.ec•; \tolunteere. who ~·Ul
'be go.ing to the state th.is summer.
In Qrder to head orr poaaJ.ble v1olen~e -.nd ehaos, Ne are
-att-e.,npt~ng to sec'UJ'e a. fedeN.l ~aence S,1 the atate before any
tragic incidents occur.
One
or
the ways !.n Which we are trying
to do this take a the f.'orm oft- s.ome pu.bl.le ~
to be h~l.d.
i.n ~%l>~--on
..J-une 8th~
<I'll · ~all)c::,..
- --
Page 2
Washington Hearings on Mississippi
We plan to have a panel of nationally prominent and respected
persons listen to testimony from civil rights workers and local
Mississippi residents concerning the violation of civil rights in
that state.
We are asking the panel to issue a plea to President
Johnson and to the Nation that the rights and lives or our workers
in Mississippi be protected.
A delegation is now attempting to secure an
appointment with
President Johnson to present to him the result of these hearings
and to ask certain actions of the President.
The Chief Executive will be asked to:
1. Meet with Governor Johnson of Mississippi and extract
from Governor Johnson the pledge that he will call together all state and local law enforcement leaders and
lay down certain ground rules for the summer.
Under
these rules the following act1vities .w111 not only be
permitted, but will he protected:
peaceful, orderly
picketing; voter reg1strat1~n; orderly distribution of
leaflets; peaceful assembly; freedom or inter-racial
groups to live in the Negro communities and to move
around the state without molestation.
2.
President Johnson will be asked to inform the Governor
that these are clearly established constitutional rights
which the federal government has the responsibility to
protect, and that if the Governor will not do this, the
federal government
will, before the summer, take specific
action to do this.
We plan to take t he se i ssues to the country in the form of
\.
~~-rtisements in major newspapers.
These advertisements will
~u.tl.1.ne the situati.on, point out that there is danger of widespread
v~aien~e in Mississippi this summer and that innocent lives may
be lost unless the Constitution of the country 1s enforced there.
There ~s n0 ~uestion that our volunteers have every moral and
legal right to go into Mississippi peacefully.
The job of educa-
tibn and ~ommunity improvement that they will be attempting in
that State ls something that our society should have done a long
..
.
Page 3
Washington Hearings on Mississippi
delinquent that these students, teachers and artists will have
to be there.
It i~ th2ir right to be pro~8ctert, and there is no
reason w:1y a country t .r..at can send a r'e-:-
••e-1.
:J(:T·OG
to Africa and
ensure tho protP, ct.; -.)!1 of its mer1bers, ca.:~not p1"otect the lives
Tr.j s wlll br· the
or
iss1 :i..e that we have to brtng to the Nation--
if we fail tr.8t'e :ts 2. real and frightenj_ng possibility that
innocent l::..vcR w·:t. 11 be lost in Misr:tts'3tppi.
Not on.0 life must
be lost as a re~1lt of the Summe~ Proj~~t; the s~~te of Mississippi
has alrea.dy crea',.~Aa too many martyrs.
no more names are added to the 11st.
Our purpose is to see that
WASHINGTON HEARINGS ON MISSISSIPPI
The Council
or
.
,
or
Federated Orginizationa (COFO), comprised
the Southern Ch~istian ~adership Conference, Congress of Racial
Equality, National Association for the Advancement or Colored
People, and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, 1•
planning a massive community improvement and education project
in Mississippi this summer.
This program calls for over a thou-
sand workers in Freedom Schools, community improvement centers,
and Negro voter registration drives, with similar projects in
selected white communities.
We anticipate hundreds
or
volunteers including ministers,
teachers, lawyers, artists, and college students to join us in
this program which llB as its goal an improvement in the standard
or_living
of whole communities ot depressed pers,ns in M1ss1s~ipp1.
We have been accused of planning this proje t to instigate
rioting, chaos and confusion in Mississippi.
Th:t,J 1s
not so,
and it is our hope that the project will take plaoe in an atmosp
phere of justice and order.
Whenever there 1s violence in Mississippi it has always
been our workers and local Negroes who have been the v1ot1ms. and
we have learned through bitter experience tha~ oUl" workers can
expect no protection from the law enforcemen~ bodies in that st&te.
They are~ in effect, attempting to work in a hoatUe envu-onment
without benefit ot the normal protection that our society gives
1ts citizens.
or
As a matter or fact, there h~ recently ;-een a wave
P<>llce-1nap1red v1ol~nce against our wh11:e workers in the state.
Because ot M1ss1ss1pp1•s violent record we are conoer.1~ ..
•
~
'41,.
'
a.bout the ph-yai.cal aatety of' Summer PX'oj.ec•; \tolunteere. who ~·Ul
'be go.ing to the state th.is summer.
In Qrder to head orr poaaJ.ble v1olen~e -.nd ehaos, Ne are
-att-e.,npt~ng to sec'UJ'e a. fedeN.l ~aence S,1 the atate before any
tragic incidents occur.
One
or
the ways !.n Which we are trying
to do this take a the f.'orm oft- s.ome pu.bl.le ~
to be h~l.d.
i.n ~%l>~--on
..J-une 8th~
<I'll · ~all)c::,..
- --
Page 2
Washington Hearings on Mississippi
We plan to have a panel of nationally prominent and respected
persons listen to testimony from civil rights workers and local
Mississippi residents concerning the violation of civil rights in
that state.
We are asking the panel to issue a plea to President
Johnson and to the Nation that the rights and lives or our workers
in Mississippi be protected.
A delegation is now attempting to secure an
appointment with
President Johnson to present to him the result of these hearings
and to ask certain actions of the President.
The Chief Executive will be asked to:
1. Meet with Governor Johnson of Mississippi and extract
from Governor Johnson the pledge that he will call together all state and local law enforcement leaders and
lay down certain ground rules for the summer.
Under
these rules the following act1vities .w111 not only be
permitted, but will he protected:
peaceful, orderly
picketing; voter reg1strat1~n; orderly distribution of
leaflets; peaceful assembly; freedom or inter-racial
groups to live in the Negro communities and to move
around the state without molestation.
2.
President Johnson will be asked to inform the Governor
that these are clearly established constitutional rights
which the federal government has the responsibility to
protect, and that if the Governor will not do this, the
federal government
will, before the summer, take specific
action to do this.
We plan to take t he se i ssues to the country in the form of
\.
~~-rtisements in major newspapers.
These advertisements will
~u.tl.1.ne the situati.on, point out that there is danger of widespread
v~aien~e in Mississippi this summer and that innocent lives may
be lost unless the Constitution of the country 1s enforced there.
There ~s n0 ~uestion that our volunteers have every moral and
legal right to go into Mississippi peacefully.
The job of educa-
tibn and ~ommunity improvement that they will be attempting in
that State ls something that our society should have done a long
..
.
Page 3
Washington Hearings on Mississippi
delinquent that these students, teachers and artists will have
to be there.
It i~ th2ir right to be pro~8ctert, and there is no
reason w:1y a country t .r..at can send a r'e-:-
••e-1.
:J(:T·OG
to Africa and
ensure tho protP, ct.; -.)!1 of its mer1bers, ca.:~not p1"otect the lives
Tr.j s wlll br· the
or
iss1 :i..e that we have to brtng to the Nation--
if we fail tr.8t'e :ts 2. real and frightenj_ng possibility that
innocent l::..vcR w·:t. 11 be lost in Misr:tts'3tppi.
Not on.0 life must
be lost as a re~1lt of the Summe~ Proj~~t; the s~~te of Mississippi
has alrea.dy crea',.~Aa too many martyrs.
no more names are added to the 11st.
Our purpose is to see that