The black panther symble was in part a response to the saying wher. They were like, ok, you got a rooster, but black panthers eat roosters,. Ye, right? So that was the origin of the black panther being adopted as a symbol. And then it was adopted by the much more famous black panthers of oakland, california; they became aware of that symbol. The ability to control politics at the local level has been really important for vulnerable groups to push back when the national party feels their demands are too radical.
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.