Michigan Senate honors sacrifices and legacy of 1964 Freedom Summer • Michigan Advance

“It is necessary to recognize the 60th anniversary of Freedom Summer in Michigan, not only because the legacy continues to inspire work for equality and justice, but also because Michigan has long been a national leader in voter registration, voter turnout and election security,” Geiss said. “The fight to secure voting rights and eliminate systemic racism and discrimination continues to be an ongoing battle in many parts of the country.”

Organized by the The leaders of the initiative, who had joined together in the Council of Federated Organizations (COFO), made the strategic decision to make almost all of the volunteers white from other states in order to draw the nation’s attention to the brutality and corruption that prevailed in Mississippi, which was mentioned in the resolution.

“Many civil rights activists in Mississippi were beaten, shot and murdered, including Medgar Evers”, it said. “African Americans were effectively barred from holding elected office, serving on juries, and registering or voting without potentially being subjected to violence…”

The volunteers knew they would face violent resistance. In fact, two student volunteers and four Mississippi residents were murdered. Among the most famous of these murders were Michael Schwerner and James Chaney, who worked for the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), and Andrew Goodman, one of hundreds of college students from across the country who volunteered to come to Mississippi that summer. All three disappeared near the city of Philadelphia, Mississippi, after they were stopped by local police. A large-scale search involving more than 200 FBI agents followed, and their bodies were found weeks later in an earthen dam. All three had been shot. Eight men, including a deputy sheriff, were eventually convicted for their roles in the murders.

During that summer, 80 volunteers were brutally beaten, 37 churches were firebombed or burned down, and at least 30 black homes and businesses were destroyed.

According to the resolution, the volunteers included more than 75 Michigan residents, 1,000 student volunteers from northern colleges and universities, 254 clergy, 169 lawyers and 50 medical professionals, and more than 120 Mississippi workers.

The efforts and sacrifices of COFO and its volunteers resulted in about 10% of the 17,000 black voters who attempted to register to vote being successful. Meanwhile, 30,000 students attended Freedom Schools in rural counties and over 50 Freedom Libraries were established to offer adult literacy classes.

Perhaps the most significant success was an election by the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, in which 60,000 residents of the state elected an integrated slate of delegates to Challenge the split state party delegation at the 1964 Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City. Although they were ultimately unsuccessful, their resistance to institutional racism within the party paid off in 1968 when they won their seat.