i think that it's tricky, because there was a defeat, right? I mean, we can see that despite all that organizing by the mississippi freedom democrats, johnson and them felt like they were facing this dilem. And yet, ultimately they come out in a way that can only be bed as against democracy, really, in that moment. People in that situation think they're making a hard headed political calculation. We may have to give up our deepest principles right now, but at least that's going to help us win and hold on to power so we can do more good down the road.
In the summer of 1964, about a thousand young Americans, black and white, came together in Mississippi to place themselves in the path of white supremacist power and violence. They issued a bold pro-democracy challenge to the nation and the Democratic Party.
Produced by John Biewen, with series collaborator Chenjerai Kumanyika. Interviews with John Lewis, Bob Moses, Unita Blackwell, Hollis Watkins, Dorie Ladner, and many others.
The series editor is Loretta Williams. Freedom song recordings courtesy of Smithsonian Folkways. Other music by Algiers, John Erik Kaada, Eric Neveux, and Lucas Biewen. Music consulting and production help from Joe Augustine of Narrative Music.
Photo: A Freedom Summer worker in Mississippi, 1964. Photo by Steve Schapiro.