The Case of Three Missing Activists
The blog post for this week is a little different from the ones we have done in the past. It is about the disappearance of Mickey Schwerner, James Chaney, and Andy Goodman. All three of these men were civil rights activists. This story took place during a time when the Klu Klux Klan was growing in members and was a very active organization. The KKK burned down many churches, one of which was Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Neshoba County, Mississippi. The KKK also beat people who had a meeting held there. Schwerner worked there but was out of town. After hearing news about the burning, Schwerner, Goodman, and Chaney all drove over to investigate what remained. While driving there the three were pulled over. Chaney was arrested for speeding, and the others were arrested for possible involvement in the burning. After being arrested, the three men were released and asked to leave town immediately. While leaving, the three men were being followed by a gang of white men and were pulled over to a nearby gravel road where they were shot, killed, and buried. Their bodies were found roughly forty days after they went missing.
Mickey Schwerner and James Chaney worked for the Congress of Racial Equality, while Andy Goodman was a student who was part of the Mississippi Summer Project. All three were associated with the Council of Federated Organizations. Schwerner had a wife, Rita, who used this case to help bring attention to victims of racial violence who were overlooked. They wanted to make a difference just like others who fought for civil rights.
It is hard to answer whether or not I would join a cause if I knew I was risking my life because I have not been in the situation before. Personally, I do not think I would because I do not think I could risk my life. These men were so brave to fight for what they believed in, even though they knew what could and would eventually happen. I just do not think I could do it after reading so many brutal stories like this one.
( Info from https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/freedomsummer-murder/ AND https://mscivilrightsproject.org/neshoba/event-neshoba/the-murder-of-chaney-goodman-and-schwerner/ ).
When I first clicked on this article I could tell the organization was well thought out from the images to the citations. The paragraph form Is also very well thought out with a strong beginning, middle, and end. I also like how you started the first sentence of this blog post. It was very unique and personal. It felt as if you were personally connecting with your audience which is very nice and engaging.
The accuracy of this blog post is also very intriguing. I like that you used a lot of names and facts as well as citing your main source. That allows me as the reader to go and explore the information you used in my personal time.
Giving the personal stories of those like Schwerner is also very intriguing to know the background of the story itself.
Last, I agree with you in not joining if it were happening in todays time because the civil rights movements that occur now are severely different then they were then and it is harder to see and understand the problems now rather than then they were very obvious and blatant to the entirety of the community. Risky your life always required intense passion. and to be willing to put your life on the line for something you aren’t as educated about or aren’t experiencing yourself is a very hard thing to do. However in 1900s I can’t see it being easier to join because you are seeing the trauma and segregation that people of color are experiencing first hand every day and these volunteers got tired of it. I respect this movement and these men so greatly and I think it is a great thing that they did.
Overall, I loved this blog post because of the quality of information and the organization.