mississippi freedom project

"The killing of Emmett Till is . . . remembered . . . as one of the . . . examples of lynchings in America. African American children in 1955 personally felt the terror of his murder. These children, however, would rise up against the culture that made Till's death possible. From the violent Woolworth's lunch-counter sit-ins in Jackson to the school walkouts of McComb, the young people of Mississippi picketed, boycotted, organized, spoke out, and marched, working to reveal the vulnerability of black bodies and the ugly nature of the world they lived in. These children changed that world. [This book] weaves together the . . . tales of those young women and men of Mississippi, figures like Brenda Travis, the Ladner sisters, and Sam Block who risked their lives to face down vicious Jim Crow segregation. Readers also discover the adults who guided the young people, elders including Medgar Evers, Robert Moses, and Fannie Lou Hamer. This . . . book of history for young adults from . . . author Robert H. Mayer is a . . . portrayal of life in the segregated South and the bravery of young people who fought that system. As the United States still reckons with racism and inequality, the activists working In the Name of Emmett Till can serve as models of activism for young people"--Provided by publisher.

Chronicles the events of the summer of 1964, when hundreds of college students arrived in Mississippi to register black voters and educated black children. Delves into the murders of three of the volunteers and discusses the FBI's investigation, the discovery of the bodies, and the climax of the summer at the Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City.

Introduces the efforts of student volunteers who traveled to Mississippi in 1964 to encourage African Americans to exercise their right to vote, and discusses the violent resistance they faced from supporters of segregation.

Describes the events surrounding the Freedom Summer Project in 1964, during which volunteers from northern states traveled to Mississippi to attempt to prove to local politicians that African Americans wanted their right to vote enforced and encouraging African Americans to make that desire known. Also discusses the resistance and violence the volunteers encountered.