THE MOVEMENT Educational Resource Packet FREEDOM SCHOOL VOTER REGISTRATION Funded in part by The Riley Foundation 1 INTRODUCTION This packet has been designed to guide teachers as their students learn about Mississippi history, especially the events that surround Meridian. The Meridian Civil Rights Trail On June 17, 2014, the Meridian Civil Rights Trail was unveiled. Eighteen markers have been dedicated, sharing the stories of Meridian’s involvement in the struggle for Civil Rights. The trail acknowledges our painful past and celebrates the people who made a difference. How To Use These Curriculum Ideas The curriculum is the Freedom Summer School Curriculum (see resource page.) It was written with 3rd and 9th grade Mississippi History students in mind. The Meridian Civil Rights Trail section of visitmeridian.com is an excellent resource for the curriculum, and includes images, expanded content, maps, trail marker videos and more. Trail markers feature QR codes that, when scanned with an electronic tablet or smart phone, will lead directly to videos with expanded content and photographs. Teachers are encouraged to utilize these resources for supplemental media. Teachers may consider partnering with their music staff for the music section for this curriculum or allowing your 9th grade students to create lessons for 3rd grade students as part of their research. Acknowledgments: Special thanks to The Riley Foundation for providing Summer Work Program Internships Curriculum Design: Laura Huff and Jesica Estes, Interns Graphic Design within the Curriculum Packet: Jesica Estes, Intern Project Directors: Dede Mogollon, Executive Director of Lauderdale County Tourism; and Charlotte B. Tabereaux, Ph.D., Education Director, MSU Riley Center for Education and Performing Arts *This project was funded by The Riley Foundation TABLE OF CONTENTS Civil Rights Trail Markers ........ 3 Curriculum Resources ........... 22 Suggested Activities Before the Field Trip ......................... 23 Coloring Pages ..................... 26 Freedom School Curriculum ............................ 30 1 AFRICAN-AMERICAN BUSINESS DISTRICT Intersection of 25th Avenue & 5th Street DIRECTIONS: Marker #1 is located at the intersection of 25th Avenue and 5th Street. The African-American Business District provided services that Meridian’s black community could not otherwise receive. Jim Crow laws that were passed across the country from 1876 to 1965 kept most of Meridian’s businesses segregated. Many white- owned businesses either refused to serve black customers or served them on a limited basis. Beginning around the turn of the 20th century, pioneering African-American businesspeople stepped forward to fill the needs of their community. E. F. Young, Jr., became a prominent businessman in the 1930s. He operated the E. F. Young Hotel, which featured a beauty shop, two barbershops, and a shoe-shine parlor. The hotel was the only one in the area that served African-Americans. Locals recall Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., staying at the Young Hotel during one of his visits to Meridian. Young also started E. F. Young, Jr., Manufacturing, the oldest ethnic hair-care products company in the country. Also located in this area were two businesses that sought to improve the health of the black community. Fielder and Brooks Drug Store opened in 1934 and served the pharmacy needs of the African-American community for decades. The second floor of the building was the headquarters of the Council of Federated Organizations (COFO), a coalition of civil rights groups, in 1964. The building was demolished in 2014. The Holbrook Benevolent Association (HBA) was established to help African-Americans receive medical care and decent burials. Jackie Robinson, who transformed major league baseball, spoke at an NAACP event held at the HBA Auditorium to raise funds for a statue to memorialize civil rights workers James Chaney, Michael Schwerner and Andrew Goodman. 3 2 THE MOVEMENT Intersection of 25th Avenue & 5th Street DIRECTIONS: Marker #2 is located just to the right of Marker #1. The history of the Civil Rights movement in Meridian is a tumultuous one. It is difficult to say exactly when it began and equally difficult to say when or if it has ended. However, we can say with certainty that Meridian’s downtown is closely linked with many of the people and events that helped to shape the movement. The Meridian Race Riot of 1871 began at Con Sheehan Hall, which was located at the intersection of 5th Street and 25th Avenue. It served as the courthouse and the center of county government in the 1870s. The riot was proof that the Reconstruction era following the Civil War had come to an end in Meridian. The struggle between the races, however, would continue. By the 1960s, this area had evolved into the African-American Business District. It was the logical choice for the location of the Council of Federated Organizations (COFO) office. COFO was a coalition of several Civil Rights groups, including the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). COFO was instrumental in registering voters, founding Freedom Schools, and helping form the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party. In 1964, Michael Schwerner and his wife, Rita, came to Meridian to run the COFO office, which was located in the Fielder and Brooks Drug Store building. Schwerner’s work at COFO caught the attention of the Ku Klux Klan and would lead to one of the most horrific events in Civil Rights history. 4 3 SIT-INS, PICKETS & BOYCOTTS 2211 5th Street DIRECTIONS: Take 5th Street northeast just past intersection of 5th Street and 23rd Avenue; marker located immediately on right. Although Meridian had a thriving African-American business district, black citizens still faced discrimination from white-owned businesses. The Jim Crow laws that segregated the South would not go away easily. Many businesses that catered to a black clientele still refused to hire black employees. They maintained segregated lunch counters or refused to serve African-Americans altogether. One of the first sit-ins in Meridian was at Woolworth’s (which occupied part of the ground floor of the Rosenbaum building) to protest its separate white and black lunch counters. Thirteen people were arrested. The Meridian Action Committee (MAC) was formed by the Reverend Charles Johnson in part to continue protest efforts. MAC negotiated with businesses, urging them to hire African-Americans and to integrate their lunch counters. When negotiations failed, the group turned to sit-ins, pickets and boycotts to achieve its goals. MAC picketed Kress and negotiated with Newberry over their “whites only” counters. MAC succeeded in getting African-Americans hired in numerous businesses throughout the city. Grocery stores like Winn-Dixie and the Help-Yourself chain mostly served black customers, but they refused to hire black cashiers or bag boys until they were picketed. One of MAC’s first protests was at the Cinderella shoe store, where a white manager had slapped a black customer. The manager was fired and two African-Americans were hired. 5 4 THE JEWISH CONTRIBUTION 2200 5th Street DIRECTIONS: Continue down 5th Street, and turn left on 22nd Avenue; marker located on left near intersection. After the devastation of the Civil War, Jewish merchants were responsible for much of the growth Meridian experienced. They built many successful businesses in the downtown area. Buildings like the Grand Opera House, the adjoining Marks-Rothenberg building (together now known as the MSU Riley Center), the Threefoot Building, and the Rosenbaum Building are evidence of their prominent role in Meridian. Additionally, they became active in politics, education, and civic organizations. The Jewish community, while small, was an important part of civic life in Meridian. During the 1960s, many local Jews feared being associated with the Civil Rights movement. Fear kept them silent – fear of losing their financial position and social acceptance, and fear of becoming targets of Ku Klux Klan violence themselves. Jewish Freedom Summer workers reported feeling unwelcomed in worship services because locals were afraid their presence could attract unwanted attention. Those who did support the movement usually did so quietly and behind the scenes. There were notable exceptions, however. Jewish leaders felt compelled to speak out in support of black churches that had been bombed or burned. As a result, their own Temple Beth Israel’s education building was bombed in 1968. Additionally, acting on an informant’s tip, the FBI was able to foil a plot to bomb the home of prominent Jewish businessman Meyer Davidson. 6 5 FEDERAL COURTHOUSE 2100 9th Street DIRECTIONS: Continue down 22nd Avenue to 9th Street, and turn right on 9th Street; marker located immediately on left. The United States Post Office and Courthouse was built in 1933 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. Meridian’s main post office occupies the lower floor, with federal courtroom facilities on the second. This was the setting for two of the most significant court actions in Civil Rights history. In 1961, James Meredith filed his initial lawsuit with the district court, seeking to integrate the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss). Meredith, who wanted to transfer from Jackson State, was initially accepted. However, after the registrar learned of his race, his acceptance was withdrawn. Meredith filed suit, claiming discrimination. Although the district court ruled against him, he took his case to the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled in his favor. On October 1, 1962, James Meredith became the first black person to enroll in classes at Ole Miss. In 1967, the case of U.S. v. Price et al. came before the court. Eighteen Ku Klux Klan members were tried for violating the civil rights of James Chaney, Michael Schwerner, and Andrew Goodman. The three civil rights workers disappeared on June 21, 1964, after investigating a church that had been burned in neighboring Neshoba County.