These three men pictured above, Mickey Schwerner, Andy Goodman, and James Chaney, were all workers for, a civil rights organization, The Congress of Racial Equality (CORE). Mickey was born in New York city. All three of these men were Civil Rights Activists, fighting for change, in such a cruel world. Michael Schwerner (Mikey) , hailed from New York City. Andrew Goodman (Andy) also hailed from New York City. James Chaney was born in Meridian, Mississippi. Michael and Goodman were both white males , it was not uncommon for whites to engage in civil rights activism, during this time.  Andy and Michael were both Jewish, educated men, with a drive to promote social reform , for the benefit of African Americans.

These three young men, were traveling from the remains of a charred church, in Langdale, MS, which had been burned to the ground by members of the KKK , days prior. The three, were pulled over for speeding , when attempting to return back to Meridian, Mississippi. The driver was  James Chaney. James was arrested and charged with speeding , while the other two men were arrested and brought in for questioning for burning down the church. I do not believe Chaney was speeding , I believe the vehicle he was driving brought attention to him and his driving. Chaney was a black male, and he was driving a vehicle with two white passengers, which drew unwanted attention to him. Upon arrival to the jail, all three men were not allowed a phone call , or the opportunity to pay any of the fines , in order to be released. When they were finally released the men were ordered to get out of town  but were never given the opportunity. When the men did not arrive back to the CORE headquarters , workers started calling around to report the men missing.  Staff at The CORE began calling police stations to inquire about the possible arrest of the men , which was standard protocol. When callers reached the jail the men were being held , the jailor declined to state that the men had ever even been in the town.

As headlines reached all around the world, the two white men , received more media attention than Chaney. Mrs. Schwerner, wife to Mickey and CORE worker, fought to change this narrative. She advocated for everyone , even though her husband was one of the men missing. Investigations by the FBI turned up the vehicle driven by Chaney, which had been attempted to dispose of and fairly soon ,human remains. Members of the KKK had been tipped off by the towns sheriff and alerted of the location of the men. The men were followed, kidnapped, and shot one by one. The case went on to obtain national attention ,but only a handful of the criminals responsible served time.

I would speak up for something that would get me killed. I live by the narrative ,”Is this worth dying over?”, maybe one day I will find the issue that would end with me sacrificing my life. I have yet to find that cause, but I feel like it will happen one day. My life is not worth more than the next person’s , except t me, and that’s a selfish narrative to abide by.

(Murder in Mississippi | American Experience | Official Site | PBS)

(Andrew Goodman Biography – Childhood, Life Achievements & Timeline (thefamouspeople.com)

(James Chaney, Activist born – African American Registry (aaregistry.org)

(Michael Schwerner Biography, Life, Interesting Facts (sunsigns.org)

image-mickey schwerner | Tumblr