May 16, 1964 - Civil rights organizations and the National Council of Churches hope to put 1,000 carefully selected and trained college students into Mississippi this summer to challenge the white power structure there.
One of these students described his commitment in the following terms: “Mississippi is the last stronghold of the old Confederacy, and feelings are bitter, but those who are going there have made their decisions rationally. We know there is a chance of being hurt, of being jailed, of being killed, but we still believe in the cause so strongly that we must go.”
The participating civil rights groups are the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), the NAACP, and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). They and the National Council of Churches have formed a group to direct the Mississippi operations from headquarters in Jackson. It is called the Council of Federated Organizations and will be headed by Robert Moses (pictured) of SNCC, assisted by Dave Dennis of CORE.
Mr. Moses, a 29-year-old Negro who has headed SNCC’s activities since 1961, holds a master’s degree in philosophy from Harvard University. He gave up teaching in a private New York school to devote his full time to civil rights work.
On the basis of previous experience, the civil rights organizations are screening out emotionally unstable, immature students who are in search of an “escape” — students in revolt against their families and society in general.
Each applicant is required to complete a questionnaire. The minimum age is 18 years; all under 21 must obtain the written permission of their parents.
Accepted candidates are also required to pay for their transportation to and from Mississippi, as well as their living costs. They will be housed with Negro families.
The organizations, which have established recruiting centers on major Northern campuses, also require each applicant to find a person who is prepared to put up at least $500 in cash bail, should the student be arrested.
The principal features of the campaign in Mississippi include a voter registration drive; backing four Negro candidates for the House and one for the Senate; Freedom Schools to raise the educational levels of Negro high school students; literacy classes; instruction in arts and crafts; and a slate of Negro Democrats to challenge the seating of white Democrats at the party’s national convention in Atlantic City this August.
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