In the process of that really contentious convention, the d and c offers the mississippi freedom democrats this compromise. It winds up becoming kind of institutionalized in 72 when they create like this mcgovern fraser commission to figure out to look at sort of contentious moments like that. And once that stuff is institutionalized, it paves the way for the dislike, un cedented increase of black elected officials at the local level, some of the national level, judges, et cetera. So it's really, it's a really powerful legacy of the mississ Mississippi freedom democrats.
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.