" Freedom on My Mind

Trinity College Trinity College Digital Repository Resist Newsletters Resist Collection 9-30-1995 Resist Newsletter, Jul-Aug-Sept 1995 Resist Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalrepository.trincoll.edu/resistnewsletter Recommended Citation Resist, "Resist Newsletter, Jul-Aug-Sept 1995" (1995). Resist Newsletters. 275. https://digitalrepository.trincoll.edu/resistnewsletter/275 ISSN 0897-2613 • Vol. 4 # 6 A Call to Resist Illegitimate Authority July/August-- September, 1995 "Freedom on My Mind" Reviewed By Bell Gale Chevigny Nominated for an Academy Award for leads us from the first sit-ins through the group's first foray into Mississippi. Curtis best documentary of 1994, "Freedom on refusal of the National Democratic Hayes, hearing that "Martin Luther King's My Mind" was released to coincide with Convention at Atlantic City to seat the brother" had come into McComb, went the thirtieth anniversary of the beginning Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party in and found Moses, and in his enthusiasm, of what was called Freedom Summer in August, 1964, the film is essentially told Hayes launched a sit-in and got arrested. Mississippi. Even more than the by ·. ten _veterans of th.e Mississippi Hayes is eloquent on the way people then indispensable PBS series, "Eyes on the movement. Of the six blacks, those who "ran to danger the way a hungry man runs Prize," this riveting documentary, grew up in Mississippi made an especially to food," and on how the movement produced and directed by Connie Field strong impression. L.C. Dorsey recalls provided him with a sense of community: (Director of the celebrated "Life and how her share-cropper father so valued "I was in heaven for a minute." The film Times of Rosie, the Riveter") and Marilyn education for his children that he walked also details the killing of Herbert Lee, who Mulford seems calculated to engage them to the bus each day with a gun to helped Moses meet people to discuss voter people born too late for any memory of fend off anyone who interfered. Endesha education, the failure of the Justice civil rights struggles. I tested this out by Ida Mae Holland tells about being raped Department to respond, the unflinching showing the film to students in my courses by her employer on her eleventh birthday, and costly transformation of Fannie Lou on contemporary U.S. literature, on deciding like so many other girls not to Hamer from plantation timekeeper to identity politics, and on "the Civil War tell her mother, learning to "walk sassy," activist, and the difficult decision to and the American Imagination." and greeting the "freedom-riders" coming recruit northern students, largely white, Almost half my students had seen to Greenwood so she could tum some new for_a summer project. "Mississippi Burning," a late-eighties tricks. Instead the movement drew her in, Extensive footage about the Hollywood film about the 1964 killing of gave her credit for knowing "how to go to training of volunteers in Oxford, Ohio, three civil rights workers, which absurdly jail," and changed her life. Curtis Hayes coupled with the thoughtful interpretation heroizes the FBI and erases the role of the remembers taking out his frustrations with of four now middle-aged whites who were black movement. "Freedom on My Mind" whites by preaching in the woods about there provoked more personal reflection in sets about correcting both these David and Goliath, assailing the trees as if my largely-white classes. A dramatic impressions and also the belief in the top they were white folks. instance of the tension and down model of the civil rights story that Bob Moses was a math teacher in misunderstanding between the white conventional history's emphasis on leaders New York City when news photos of the volunteers and the seasoned black field like King has fostered. people sitting in at lunch counters drew workers that persisted throughout the What moved my students to him irresistibly south: "They looked like I summer helped my students to broach the respect the grass-roots struggle was felt," he said, typically laconic. He joined touchy topic in class discussion. The film learning about it from life-stories of SNCC, the Student Nonviolent also lingers powerfully on the moment ordinary people. Although a narrator Coordinating Committee, and made the when Bob Moses talked to the volunteers "Freedom" about the disappearance and virtually Every Activist's The Ruses For War: certain deaths of Chaney, Goodman, and Schwerner, assuring them they could Bookshelf American Intervention leave the project with no discredit but he would be with them if they ·stayed. The Since World War II commitment of the students moved many By John Quigley. Buffalo, NY: of their counterparts in my classes to Reviewed by Henry Rosemont, Jr. Prometheus Press, 1992 wrenching envy and the desire to discuss the enormous differences and the more Every activist's bookshelves elusive similarities between that moment should include three slim volumes of Reviewed by Henry Rosemont, Jr. and this one. Noam Chomsky's recent thinking, taken To every one familiar with the The film's swift alternation of from an ongoing series of interviews with many socio-political writings of Noam images of young and middle-aged people Davis Barsamian, a progressive talk-show Chomsky--from American Power and the who have sustained their activism in a host in Boulder, Colorado. They are New Mandarins (1969) World Orders old variety of fields undermined the prevalent vintage Chomsky, and the clarity of his and New (1994)-- the unspeakable horrors notion of 60's exceptionalism. More thought is matched by the directness with visited on third world peoples by the U.S. subtly, it made one student reflect on "the which he expresses it, on subjects as military and CIA are fairly well known. feeling of a connection between past and varied as Klaus Barbie, the LA. riots, In those writings Chomsky ( a founding present, a fluid movement of events. This organic food, NAFTA, family values, and member of RESIST) well describes and makes the viewer aware that the present racism. documents U.S. war crimes ranging from will soon be the past, and changes that The titles are What Uncle Sam our brutal occupation of the Philippines in take place have to be enacted in the now." Really Wants (1992), The Prosperous Few 1898 to our direct support for Central In effect, he said, it brought home that "we and the Restless Many (1993), and American death squads a century later; too live in history." Secrets, Lies and Democracy (1994). The and he covers as well virtually everything Finally, the film offers a first also contains a good bibliography of continued on page three meticulous demonstration of a series of Chomsky's political writings over the cynical betrayals of the MFDP at the years, and the third includes a list of 144 Democratic National Convention: when subversive ( of status quo) groups, all of Fanny Lou Hamer was offering her which are struggling against one or dramatic testimony to the credentials another of the many injustices Chomsky committee, LBJ called a press conference catalogs. They are listed there, because, to draw off the TV cameras; Humphrey as Chomsky says, summoned the MFDP leadership to confer Being alone, you can't at the time that the committee was hearing do anything. All you can do is deplore the final arguments and voting. The narrative situation. voice-over concludes that the Democratic But ifyoujoin Party's repudiation of the young and the with other people, you can make changes. dispossessed discouraged those groups Millions ofthings are possible, depending ILLEGITIMATE AUTIIORITY from seeking redress through established on where you want to put your efforts. For Information and grant guldellnes, write to: channels: the angry sixties was born. This RESIST, One Summer St., Somerville, MA 02143 demonstration of the governing power And the three volumes (so far) are cheap; The RESIST Newsletter is published ten delegitimating itself provides a useful you can order the lot of them for $16.00 times a year by RESIST, Inc., One corrective to the current efforts, by the plus $2.00 postage: Odonian Press, Box Summer Street, Somerville, MA 02143. New York Times, for example, to see the 32375, Tucson, AZ 85751. Non-Luddites (617) 623-5110. The views expressed in rightist terrorism as the child of sixties' can phone in their credit card orders to articles, other than editorials, are those of rage. (800) REAL STORY. the authors and do not necessarily repre Bell Gale Chevigny is a member of the Resist Henry Rosemont, Jr. is a member ofthe Resist sent the opinions of the RESIST staff or Board. She is a writer on Mississippi and Board, and a philosopher in Maryland and board. other social issues for the Nation. Her revised Shanghai. His latest book is The Chinese and greatly expanded The Woman and the Mirror. RESIST Staff: Nancy Wechsler Myth: Margaret Fuller's Life and Writings was published in 1994 by Northeastern University Press. Attention Libraries! This is Vol. 4 # 6 Support Resist! Printing: Red Sun Press July/August- -•n Become a Resist Pledge September Printed on Recycled Paper Page Two RESIST Newsletter July/August--September, 1995 The Ruses For War: continued .from page Two in between. attention from the media, liberal or Hobsbawni clears the deck, i.e. But those accounts are dispersed conservative; their complicity in the · dismisses the fog of myths clouding our throughout his books; for a single slaugh_ter and subjugation of third world ·century, for most of the 585 pages of narrative account of U.S. military peoples is made too obvious in it. At the his book, continuing what he has done (mis)adventurism abroad since the same time, the book makes equally in his other half dozen works so far.

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