Please Read. This Is An Historic Night, and I think we should all just pause for a moment.

[VolcanoJen]

I dedicate this thread, and this beautiful night, to Andrew Goodman, James Chaney, and Michael Schwerner.


Thank you, FLDem5!

Forty-four years ago, these three college students were murdered in Philadelphia, Mississippi for attempting to register blacks to vote.

Today, all citizens of this state have the opportunity to vote, and tonight, for the first time in history, they can, should they choose, vote for a black candidate for President of the United States.

That's really all you need to know about truth, justice, equality, and our nation, which we love so dearly.

So tonight, as we watch the returns, let's pause to thank those three brave, young men, who gave their lives so that tonight would even be possible.

On Edit: It's important also to give many props to Jesse Jackson, who blazed this trail before, so that we could enjoy this historic late winter night, and celebrate the triumph it represents. Rev. Jackson, I lift my glass to you. Thank You from the bottom of my bleeding, liberal heart.

[EmilyAnne]

1. Thank you! This is a great reminder. n/t

[Guava Jelly]

2. 44th President

:D

[SaveAmerica]

34. That gave me chills!

[George II]

98. ....made me cry, let's never forget tonight or those three brave Americans

[Coexist]

3. ....

[VolcanoJen]

10. Thank you.

I'm in tears, I really am.

[Coexist]

12. me too - you should add it to your op.

[KAZ]

Now you've got me crying. Good thoughts Jen.

[Bryan]

4. K&R

n/t

[apocalypsehow]

5. Thank you for posting this. A timely reminder, and a poignant one.

n/t.

[K Gardner]

6. Thanks, Jen...

[Kukesa]

7. K&R, Jen. Good post; good reminder. n/t

[Flabbergasted]

8. Great idea VolcanoJen. KR

[BumRushDaShow]

9. K&R

History....

[stillcool]

11. Who would have thought?

[NDambi]

33. So true...So true...love that cover and that story in Ebony

We've come a long way baby!

[VolcanoJen]

37. Beautiful.

Is it... could we... is this really happening?

[stillcool]

47. This moment brought to you by...

They who dared to dream.

[TheDoorbellRang]

52. Now you've got me all choked up

A BIG K & R for those who dared to dream

[VolcanoJen]

55. A toast, even!!!!

If you have a glass... lift it to those who dream.

:grouphug:

[TheDoorbellRang]

108. Gladly!

:toast:

And if you haven't seen this yet: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHNhc6TPXts

[ekwhite]

183. Now you did it!

You made me cry. :cry: That was a beautiful video.

[LuckyLib]

201. That video is very well done. Brings back old feelings we all haven't seen or had for awhile.

[0007]

235. Kudos to you and have a drink on me.

:toast:

[Kaylee]

88. Now that cover has made me weepy....

I never would've thought it possible. It's something I've wished for my children's children (and my kids are only 6 and 3). But never would I have dreamed that we would have a black candidate taken seriously for President.

[stillcool]

114. And the truly stunning thing...

is that people say he is ahead because he is black. Now there's some mind bending logic for you.

[VolcanoJen]

149. It's a dream for your children, too.

What a wonderful parent you are, to dream so hard, so fervently, for your children.

They are so fortunate to have such an open-minded, free-to-dream role model. My mother shaped my dreams, and I am eternally grateful.

:hug: Kaylee :hug:

[Bright Eyes]

13. Peace to them.

[misanthrope]

14. Great post**nm

**

[JeffR]

15. K & R.

Great post!

[bicentennial_baby]

16. ...

[zonkers]

17. Good one.

[City Lights]

18. K&R.

Thank you for the reminder, VolcanoJen.

[cindyw]

I just love this post.

:patriot:

[Skidmore]

19. ...

Amen.

[Breeze54]

20. Your OP just sent chills up my spine!!

How thrilling for them and for all of us for this historical night!

Great post!! Thanks for the reminder, VolcanoJen! :toast:

:kick: & Recommended

[skooooo]

21. kr

[Tatiana]

22. So true. We owe so much to those who sacrificed for our rights and freedoms.

:grouphug:

[MagsDem]

23. Unlike FL, where a black candidate is now disenfranchising 1.7 mil voters

Life is ironic, isn't it?

[VolcanoJen]

25. One has nothing whatsoever to do with the other.

Go away if you can't recognize what a night this is.

[JeffR]

43. Don't let that poster's lack of civility, brains & human empathy

ruin this thread.

[druidity33]

59. darn

i always wonder what that ignored fellow is saying...

ahhh, but since you said it'd ruin the thread and i'm not feeling like being angered, i'll just let it lie and move on to the next thread. Thanks for the heads up!

:)

[GoneOffShore]

246. And I thought I was the only one who had him on ignore.

:hi:

[stevenleser]

260. Nope, they are on my ignored list too, whoever they are...

[stevenleser]

261. K&R Great post

Love it!

[EmilyAnne]

26. You are absolutely nuts. Seriously, something is wrong with you.

[yardwork]

40. I can hardly believe that you would post that in this thread.

Unbelievable.

[Arugula Latte]

41. Seek professional help.

Seriously. You are sick if you really think Obama is "disenfranchising" voters.

[TexasLady]

44. anybody ever watch the good ol Charlie Brown Teacher scenes?

I'll shut up now..

[kid a]

51. seek help for your vile resentments...or a nearby 12 step program

i DO NOT use ignore, but you would be a top candidate.

[GoneOffShore]

247. Go on, use it - It's kind of like taking a shower

After inadvertently hearing Rush or Billo.

[Faygo Kid]

72. MagsDem, your posts have been ugly, but this is your worst.

You are either abysmally ignorant of history or just hate-filled.

Either way, this post is - I hope - the rock bottom for you.

[Binka]

176. The Nasty Little Shit Disturber Is Still Here?

Oh my I would have thought DU would have TS her ass by now. Hi Mags Dem have a blessed day.

[IronLionZion]

248. That woman is suspended for 7 days starting today.

The level of discussion around here instantly improved. Enjoy a MagsDem-free week!

[Fox Mulder]

78. Like I told you yesterday...

just when I realize your posts can't get any dumber, *POOF*, you outdo yourself.

[Lochloosa]

133. As a White Native Floridian....

I applaud Barack.

I have never said this to another DU memeber but you can Fuck Off!

[Shakespeare]

138. Gee, that's odd; I thought FL was excluded because they refused to follow party rules.

And now you can STFU.

[dbmk]

140. I was wondering what it would take for me to use my first ignore.

You just gave the answer.

[L0oniX]

142. Welcome to my ignore list.

[awoke_in_2003]

146. Un Fucking believable

you start that shit up in a post like this. Just for your info, it wasn't Obama who invalidated Florida's primary, it was the DNC.

[Catherina]

156. Voters who disenfranchised themselves

by voting for a politician who promised to move their Primary date forward in total disregard of DNC rules.

They disenfranchised themselves.

[americanstranger]

167. Rage, rage, rage.

You are simply pathetic. I'm really starting to feel sorry for you, because you must not have much of a life.

- as

[ekwhite]

185. You can sit up there in Redmond Washing and be smug...

but some of us were living in the south when this was happening. Unlike Mississippi Burning, it didn't end after two hours - it went on for years, and is still going on in some places, like in Florida.

Do you have any idea how many thousands of black voters have been disenfranchised in Florida by the Republicans? Do you have any idea what black southerners had to suffer through to get the right to vote? This is not some joke. I lose my sense of humor when I think about some of the crap that went down in those days.

[kdpeters]

191. You are a toxic person

[mod mom]

227. truly despicable!

[IronLionZion]

243. OH YES! You are suspended from DU. How's that working out for you? nt

[blue neen]

24. Thoughtful, poignant post.

Thank you for the reminder. Perhaps we will have even more historic nights to look forward to.

:toast:

[VolcanoJen]

39. What can I say?

We have a dream. :-)

:hug: :toast: blue neen! :hug: :toast:

[Name removed]

27. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[tishaLA]

83. Please go away

[JanusAscending]

170. AND ..Another one bit the dust !!! Oh yeah another one bit the dust!

n/t

[milkyway]

28. Also--Medgar Evers was killed by the KKK in Jackson, Missississippi (where Obama spoke

last night).

In the weeks leading up to his death, Evers found himself the target of a number of threats. His public investigations into the murder of Emmett Till and his vocal support of Clyde Kennard made him a prominent black leader and therefore vulnerable to attack. On May 28, 1963, a molotov cocktail was thrown into the carport of his home. Five days before his death, Evers was nearly run down by a car after he emerged from the Jackson NAACP office. Civil rights demonstrations accelerated in Jackson during the first week of June 1963. A local television station granted Evers time for a short speech, his first in Mississippi, where he outlined the goals of the Jackson movement. Following the speech, threats on Evers' life increased.

On June 12, 1963, Evers pulled into his driveway after just returning from an meeting with NAACP lawyers. Emerging from his car and carrying NAACP T-shirts that read "Jim Crow Must Go," Evers was struck in the back with a bullet fired from an Enfield 1917 30.06 rifle that ricocheted into his home. He staggered 30 feet before collapsing. He died at a local hospital 50 minutes later. Evers was murdered just hours after President John F. Kennedy's speech on national television in support of civil rights.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medgar_Evers

[George II]

125. In the f-ing BACK, cowards all, they couldn't even face him!

[awoke_in_2003]

147. The problem with history classes today

is they do not teach the horrors of our past. Hell, I didn't know much of the civil rights movement until I was adult and searched it out myself. I lived in a small town in Alabama from 72-76 and still remember the "coloreds only" drinking fountains. Luckily, I had good parents, and they taught me that that shit was wrong.

[VolcanoJen]

155. That is astonishing

Isn't it incredible, that we learn the whole of life's lessons either before or after we leave our formal schooling behind?

I think you make an excellent point about the white-washing of American history. Especially considering you actually lived through it.

[awoke_in_2003]

165. Well, we moved from Ohio

to Alabama. Talk about a culture shock. I may be an atheist now, but I had parents who belonged to a GOOD christian church, that actually lived by the teachings of their religions. One religious teaching holds true, whether atheist or not, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you". If we all lived by that one little principle, the world would be a much better place.

[awoke_in_2003]

166. "white-washing of American history"

Oh, and don't get me started on how we treated Native Americans.

[VolcanoJen]

169. Couldn't possibly agree with you more.

And look forward to that full-throated discussion. We do seem wrapped up in a moment right now, though, and I think it's moving us forward.

[milkyway]

177. My teenage son will probably read "A People's History of the United States" by Howard Zinn this

summer before he takes American History in school in the fall. He's very politically aware for his age, but the book will still be an eye-opener for him. I've warned him that once he reads the book he will never see this country the same way again, and he should be sure he wants to read it.

Deciding whether or not to read it is kind of like The Matrix--take one pill and you live in ignorant bliss, take the other pill and you see things how they clearly are. I don't want him to just become full of anger and cynicism; I want him to see that, despite all the shit that's gone down, there have been many heroic people and many moments of profound greatness in this country. The Constitution and Bill of Rights remain to this day radical documents.

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/A-Peoples-History-of-the-United-States/Howard-Zinn/e/9780060838652/?itm=1

[Faygo Kid]

29. I remember. And because I do, I must correct you: Chaney, not Chanay.

I know you want to get their names right. No criticism, and I know you know that.

Thanks so much for the post.

[VolcanoJen]

31. Thank you!!

:hug:

[skooooo]

30. They must be looking down somewhere on all this....

They made all of this possible.

[dflprincess]

82. I hope their surviving family members find satisfaction

and even joy in this.

Whatever candidate we support in this race, Obama's win in Mississippi is an incredible event. It doesn't mean there is no more racism in the U.S., but it does show that we have come a long, long way since 1964.

[VolcanoJen]

112. Yes!

It doesn't matter which candidate you support... it's an historic night.

It is my fervent wish that somehow, the families of those brave men can find a tiny piece of joy in tonight's result. Those men should always remind us of what we are, and who we can still be, as a nation.

May they be remembered, forever, by all of us.

[George II]

126. Of 43 state primaries and caucuses, this one stands alone for it's historical significance...

[Medusa]

32. Thank you for posting that

we should never forget their sacrifice.

[Adelante]

35. Bless them nt

[XemaSab]

36. k&r

n/t

[NYCGirl]

38. Great post. Thank you. NT

[JohnnyLib2]

42. Thank you from a Clinton supporter who remembers all too well.

I landed at Cornell that Fall, fresh from a far western state. The first event I attended was a solemn memorial service for all 3, but especially M. Schwerner, who had recently been a Cornell student. It was a stunning, gut-wrenching eye-opener to someone who had been exposed only through limited t.v. news. Just a few years later, I met a Mississippi gal and made many trips to the Delta. Even for a young liberal, it was unthinkable that an election night such as this one would ever occur.

Thanks again, VolcanoJen, you have highlighted something close to the hearts of many people.

[VolcanoJen]

45. OMG

Johnny... what an incredible story. I'd love to hear so much more about your experiences, we never heard enough about this when we were younger. We can never get enough of what it really was like, in those days, from people like you, in college, on the threshold of change. I'd love to read an OP from you on this topic, alone.

:hug: JohnnyLib2 :hug:

[KAZ]

46. Thank you Johnny.

[Kukesa]

54. And thank you for sharing your memories with us, Johnny. n/t

[Kukesa]

56. Self delete. Dupe. n/t

[myrna minx]

67. Thank you for sharing your powerful memories with us. nt

[ColesCountyDem]

48. Thank you for the reminder.

I well remember the horror of the time...

[ecstatic]

49. So true... thanks! nt

[northzax]

50. you can celebrate that

when a black American wins the Mississippi general election. All the primary tells me is that the white racista don't vote Democratic.

[Catherine Vincent]

53. That's a good reminder but it would be more historic if Obama won it in the General. nt

[grantcart]

57. Is it possible that someday we will look back on this campaign as the 'good old days'?

thanks

[VolcanoJen]

61. Yes, We Can!

Heh.

:hug: grantcart :hug:

After the bitterness of today, tonight just feels all the more poignant.

[grantcart]

93. it is the bitterness of a dying perspective

[girl_interrupted]

63. VolcanoJen What a beautiful tribute

Thank you so much for this reminder. I only wish it would act as an agent for unity within our own party now. What a wonderful way to thank these young men for the sacrifices they made. What a selfless act of courage it must have taken to stand up for what was right. They are to be admired, respected and hopefully emulated in our own lives. Thanks again, Jen!

[Pawel K]

58. thanks for posting this.

[defendandprotect]

60. It's sad history I well remember and has had great meaning thru these decades . . .

Three young men had their young lives taken from them because of the profitability of
racial exploition -- and the teaching of "racism" as a tool of keeping it in place . . .

In memory of Andrew Goodman, James Chaney, and Michael Schwerner
and their families and loved ones --

but let's remember that the thinking that killed these young men is still with us and
we are still fighting against those forces today --- forces which would enslave us all.

[Blue State Bandit]

62. K-N-R!

[myrna minx]

64. K&R.

[struggle4progress]

65. Those three are on my mind

... Those three are on my mind
And three proud mothers
Weeping side by side
Those three are on my mind

But I'm grieving yet
And for some the sky is bright
I cannot give up hoping
For a morning light
So I ask the killers do you sleep at night
Those three are on my mind

I see tin roof shanties
Where my brothers live
Those three are on my mind
And the little burnt out churches
Where they sing we forgive
Those three are on my mind

I know of Tom Paine's Water Tree
I know the price of liberty
Now I ask the question that is deep inside of me
Did they also burn the courthouse
When they killed those three
Those three are on my mind ...

Words and Music by Frances Taylor and Pete Seeger

http://www.peteseeger.net/thosethree.htm

[VolcanoJen]

73. Gorgeous. You just turned on my water works again.

:hug:

[Starbucks Anarchist]

66. K&R.

[Faygo Kid]

68. K&R, and everybody here at least watch "Mississippi Burning"

One of the all-time great movies. If you have not seen it, do so. A truly great movie. About a story every American should know.

[MadMaddie]

137. When I watched it for the first time it sent shivers down my spine

such evil people, such hate in their hearts.....

[emlev]

174. I encourage people to seek out non-fictionalized accounts of this history

I remember when the film came out many close to the situation said it was inaccurate. Years ago, halfway between then and now, I knew Michael "Mickey" Schwerner's brother, a good man with a heavy heart. I'm thinking of him tonight as well.

[RiverStone]

69. Great reminder....thank you Jen!

On to the greatest page you go! :hi:

K&R

[struggle4progress]

70. Going Down To Mississippi

I'm going down to Mississippi
I'm going down a southern road
And if you never see me again
Remember that I had to go
Remember that I had to go ...

It's not for the glory that I'm leaving
It's not trouble that I'm looking for
But there's lots of good work calling me down
And the waiting won't do no more
No, The waiting won't do no more

Don't call me the brave one for going
No, don't pin a medal to my name
For even if there was any choice to make
I'd be going down just the same
I'd be going down just the same

For someone's got to go to Mississippi
Just as sure as there's a right and there's a wrong
Even though you say the time will change
That time is just too long
That time is just too long ...

- Phil Ochs

[Kukesa]

77. Cool! And very appropriate as well. n/t

[George II]

129. Thanks for the words to that song (and one other further up)...

..are we all hippies here? HAHA....I have to lighten the mood, excuse me!

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

71. With All Due Respect, I Want To Recognize Another Poster For This Thread As Well.

DU'er soleft posted this earlier today and got no replies, yet yours is getting tons though it was 11 hours later. So though you deserve credit for sure, I just wanted people to know that another DU'er had the same sentiment far earlier, though got little credit for it. Just want to give props where it's due! (not intending to take anything away from you, I just feel for that other poster, if she came across this thread)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x5017618

[VolcanoJen]

76. Oh, hell yes!!! A huge K&R for soleft.

I did not see that thread earlier, and besides, soleft is beloved to me.

I certainly never intended my thread to be original.... more emotional, really.

A toast to you, OMC, and a toast to soleft!

:toast:

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

80. Thanks! I Felt Bad. She Tried In Another Thread To Call Attention To It, And It Still Didn't

work.

I was going to respond but wanted to read the article first, and never ended up having the time at work to do so (with stuff like that, I like to concentrate). But then when I got home, I ended up forgetting.

When I just saw your thread, it obviously reminded me and I thought it was great the topic was now getting attention, but couldn't help feeling sorry for soleft, ya know?

So toast to you both:

:toast:

Here's his second post trying to call attention to the first:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x5019837

[soleft]

107. GMTA

:thumbsup:

[VolcanoJen]

110. You are SO the bomb

Always have been. Always will be.

:hug: soleft :hug:

[JohnnyLib2]

79. Thanks--going right there, right now.

[KAZ]

90. Thanks OMC. I can't believe I missed that earlier thread.

[soleft]

99. Thanks OMC

:loveya:

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

105. Dammit! I KNEW I Should've Checked The Profile Before Putting 'He' LOL

Edit time :)

[Lochloosa]

136. K/R for soleft

:toast:

[crispini]

74. .

:kick:

[peacetalksforall]

75. Bravo, Jen. And bravo to those heroes, to Jesse, and all those who fought.

Lately, I think a lot about all the tools the police have (don't ask me why; I can't answer).

These people fought with their beliefs and hopes - beliefs and hopes for humanity and justice.

[sorrybushisfromtexas]

101. Civil Rights Movement and Barack Obama

As a young boy, I found out what racism was in the late 1950's,my mother and I were coming home to Texas by bus. When we got on, there was only two other passengers sitting about halfway back in the bus. It was another nine year old who was African American and his mother. My mom sat us down two rows ahead of them and we started playing. Our grandmothers had packed us both snacks which we shared. As people got on the bus, the other Mom and child started moving farther and farther back. I would go back with them and continued to play. After a while, they were on the back row and the African American mother told me that he couldn't play with me. She said that she didn't want trouble. I asked my mother why, and she said that was because that was the way it was. It was not an acceptable answer to me. My parents while being democrats were a product of the south. They used the n word but did not believe in the Jim Crow laws so they were more liberal than most Southern Democrats. I was proud to see them grow as the Civil Rights movement grew. They told me how wrong it was what was happening in Alabama and Mississippi and in Texas where we lived. I saw the start to use the word black or African American. I saw them go from being homophones to accept and love a gay grandson. I really believe that if they were alive today, they would join me in supporting our first African American President, Barak Obama.

[VolcanoJen]

115. Well, here come the tears, again

Bless you for that poignant story. I was fortunate ("lucky?") enough to be born in the post-Civil Rights era, and I think so many of us have so much to learn from people like you.

:hug: sorrybushisfromtexas :hug:

[Swamp Rat]

81. You're such a classy lady VolcanoJen

:loveya:

[progdog]

84. Thanks Jen

I remember this well. I was 16. So sad.

[mmonk]

85. .

[psychopomp]

86. And don't forget, two were Jewish

That is what Sen. Obama is talking about when he speaks of the historic relationship between African Americans and Jews in the United States.

:toast: To all the idealists!

[skater314159]

152. Hear hear!!! nt

[awoke_in_2003]

153. It is too bad

that they don't hold a similar relationship with homosexuals.

[VolcanoJen]

160. Cheers!

That historic relationship has rained praise and admiration upon our country.

It is treasured by each of us, or at least that is my fervent hope.

[styersc]

87. The Edit is Very Important!!!!

Jesse Jackson won this primary in 1988. But back then we were all in this together. Differences of opinion were just that, honest and no one had to be afraid to express his/her beliefs.

Now, anyone who does fall in line is a racist. Threads are posted that try to capitalize on the emotion of "this historic night" while editing in a side note that the historic night was actually 20 years ago.

[VolcanoJen]

123. And, back in 1988...

... we weren't all on the intertubes dishing back and forth about primary races. Our correspondence with each other was either in person, or in letter.

It's just not the same thing. And I'm not trying to capitalize on anything. You may be cynical, but that's all you've got.

[unblock]

89. neither obama nor jesse jackson "blazed this trail"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shirley_Chisholm

[VolcanoJen]

97. Excellent point.

It's too hard to reflect in an edit, but you're right about Shirley.

Mine is an emotional post about my feelings about Mississippi voting for, let's be honest, the first viable black candidate for President of the United States.

I'd love to see another OP about the beautiful Ms. Chisolm. My mother raised me to believe she was our first real hero, so I'm 100% on your page.

[Liberal Gramma]

144. What a heroine Shirley Chisholm was!

I wrote her in as my vote for president in two elections, and was fortunate enough to hear her speak years later--just as powerful an influence as she was in her prime.

[awoke_in_2003]

157. Thanks for that link

leads to other interesting articles, like Rep. Conyers and Rangel (the 3 make a good group).

[NM Independent]

91. Thank You

For such a poignant reminder of how thankful we should be of where we are now.


styersc - that was just disgusting, and you should be ashamed of yourself.
MagsDem - your just dead wrong. Florida broke the rules, and now they're paying for it. Case closed. Bringing it up in this thread is just absolutely tasteless and, you too, should be ashamed of yourself.

Both of you got an alert from me.

[Cha]

92. Aren't you a

Sweetie for helping us to remember this ultra important paradox in History, Jen..with a lump in my throat, I thank you. :hug:

[Covington]

94. Stopping us all in our tracks.

Wow. Thanks for the reminder, stopping us all in our tracks with the perspective of just what a moment we're privileged to witness.

[VolcanoJen]

102. After a heated day....

... of old racial wounds being ripped wide open, it's important to remind ourselves of how far we've actually come.

And, at the same time, of how stalled we remain.

:hug: Cov :hug:

[me b zola]

258. And that is why your thread is absolutely perfect

...and has received 254 recommendations.


:kick:

[bigbrother05]

95. K and R

thanks for posting

[George II]

96. This isone of the most moving posts I've ever seen here, thanks very much!

[candice]

100. Are Republicans able to vote for the Dem nominee? ("All citizens of this state"?)

A racially blind election in which there is no difference between how whites and blacks vote (they are voting for the best candidate) will be a great breakthrough. If the pattern follows other primary voting in the South and falls along racial lines, we have a bit to go before we are a colorblind nation. And as long as it is acceptable to be misogynistic, we are a country that has a long ways to go. It will be great to see Mississippi electing people of quality of all races and all sexes.

How many women represent Mississippi in the U.S. Congress today? The population is probably half women so equality might be 40 to 60. Someday there might be near equality.

[VolcanoJen]

104. Someday, indeed.

Tonight's result represents a step in the right direction. It cannot be discounted.

I'd always rather move forward than backward. I have a gut feeling that the nation is beginning to agree.

[SeattleGirl]

103. Thank you, Jen.

And thank you especially to those three young men, and to all the men and women who fought for the right to vote, for those that didn't have that right.

:toast:

[citygal]

106. Brought tears to my eyes.

Excellent, insightful post.

[think4yourself]

109. Thank you.

Here's to those that gave even their lives for the rest of us.

Peace to all.

[struggle4progress]

111. " ... the Mississippi Summer Project, originally intended for Berea College in Kentucky, was held at

the former Western College for Women. Nearly 800 volunteers, mostly undergraduates from large northern universities, came to receive training and instruction in preparation for civil rights efforts. Recruiting was done at many of the Ivy League colleges in the east. Richard Momeyer, now a professor of philosophy at Miami, was the field secretary and chief organizer for "Freedom Summer."The idea was to spotlight the racism and deprivation of human rights occurring in Mississippi at the time. According to Momeyer, children of the privileged would be brought into Mississippi to hopefully shift the nation's attention to the matter. Two waves of participants took part in week-long orientation sessions.The Freedom Summer volunteers then departed for Mississippi to aid in black voter registration and volunteer in "Freedom Schools" and community centers in Mississippi.Chaney, a black Mississippian, and Goodman and Schwerner, two white New Yorkers, were among instructors on Western Campus, and were victims of the most infamous instance of violence against Freedom Summer volunteers. The first wave of participants left Oxford on June 20, 1964, and the three men followed a day later to investigate a burning at Mt. Zion church in Neshoba County, Mississippi. Chaney, Goodman and Schwerner were arrested for speeding by the sheriff's department, released after dark and never heard from again ..." http://media.www.miamistudent.net/media/storage/paper776/news/2004/02/27/Features/Freedom.Summer.1964-939324.shtml

"... 800 students gathered for a week-long orientation session at Western College for Women in Oxford, Ohio, that June. They were mostly white and young, with an average age of 21. They were also from well-to-do families, as the volunteers had to bring $500 for bail as well as money for living expenses, medical bills, and transportation home. SNCC's James Forman told them to be prepared for death. "I may be killed. You may be killed. The whole staff may go." He also told them to go quietly to jail if arrested, because "Mississippi is not the place to start conducting constitutional law classes for the policemen, many of whom don't have a fifth-grade education." On June 21, the day after the first 200 recruits left for Mississippi from Ohio, three workers, including one volunteer, disappeared. Michael Schwerner, Andrew Goodman, and James Chaney had been taken to jail for speeding charges but were later released. What happened next is not known. Local police were called when the men failed to perform a required check-in with Freedom Summer headquarters, but Sheriff Lawrence Rainey was convinced the men were hiding to gain publicity. The FBI did not get involved for a full day. During the search for the missing workers, the FBI uncovered the bodies of three lynched blacks who had been missing for some time. The black community noted wryly that these murders received nowhere near the same nationwide media attention as the murders of the three workers, two of whom were white ..." http://www.watson.org/~lisa/blackhistory/civilrights-55-65/missippi.html


FREEDOM SCHOOL CURRICULUM
MISSISSIPPI FREEDOM SUMMER, 1964
Edited and Introduced by
Kathy Emery, Sylvia Braselmann, and Linda Reid Gold
http://www.educationanddemocracy.org/FSCfiles/A_03_Index.htm

[VolcanoJen]

116. Thank you!

I wanted to add in that those three brave men left from Western College for their awful rendezvous with destiny. It's not easy to type through tears.

DUers are really the best. I've missed us.

:hug: struggle4progress :hug:

[loudsue]

221. I've missed us, too, V-Jen. This post really brings us back.

:grouphug: Thank you so much! :loveya:

[Hutzpa]

113. Very touching, Thank you for posting the image

:thumbsup: :cry: :patriot:

[brer cat]

117. K&R. Let us never forget

how this night was reached.

[jwirr]

118. Thank you. I too am crying. For the last years many of us have watched

the right wing systematically destroy much of what we worked to build in the 50s-70s so this thread brings the pain of that lose back but you have very appropriately reminded us that we have not lost everything. We have heroes like this to show us the way.

[redwitch]

119. Thank you Jen.

And thank you Andrew, James and Michael.

[Pastiche423]

120. Beautiful dedication, VolcanoJen

The murderer of the three young men, Edgar Ray "Preacher" Killen (born 17 January 1925) is an American former Ku Klux Klan organizer who conspired to kill three civil rights activists in 1964.

He was found guilty of three counts of manslaughter on June 21, 2005, 41 years to the day after his crime. He appealed the verdict, but his punishment was upheld by Circuit Judge Marcus Gordon on January 12, 2007 by the Mississippi Supreme Court.


He was sentenced to the maximum sentence of 60 years in prison, 20 years for each manslaughter, to be served consecutively.

[VolcanoJen]

128. That's a nice addition.

It's the "justice" part of the "equality" equation.

Better late, than never.

Pastiche!!! My old, sweet friend!

:hug: Pastiche423!!!!!!!!!!!!! :hug:

[Spazito]

121. Thank you and soleft for your wonderful threads!

Both yours and solefts reminder is very much appreciated, thank you again.

Recommended.

[Kurovski]

122. K&R.

Inspired and moving.

Thank you.

[QC]

124. Jesse Jackson won the 1988 primary in Mississippi.

In fact, that was Mississippi's first primary--prior to that they had caucuses.

[AGirl]

127. it makes me want to cry.

[Cogito ergo doleo]

130. Thank you for posting this.

:kick:

[George II]

131. What a great headline on NBC...."Obama Wins Mississippi"!

Sorry, I already posted here but am just caught up in the historical moment....

[Beregond2]

132. Thanks

Thank you. A timely reminder that there are good reasons to not be cynical about this country.

[candice]

134. If the voting is not along racial lines, then a great victory for Mississippi...

[struggle4progress]

135. August 7, 1964

... Tonight was James Chaney’s Funeral ------ We met at 4 different churches - were asked to wear dark clothing - then marched silently to 1st Union Church for the funeral ....I was very much afraid ...

Upon arriving at the church, - I breathed a great sigh of relief .... Also, I noticed the sunset. - It’s much more beautiful in the midst of this fear - and hatred - and grime - and filth - and injustice ----- One needs the beauty of the sunset ------ very much! -------

The service was very meaningful - very moving .... As the minister prayed - responses sounded forth - here and there throughout the church. - Once in a while it seemed a small rumble as many responded. - And then the minister began praying .... “----and for these brave young people - leaving their homes - coming hundreds and thousands of miles to help us..........” - and the church resounded with affirmative Amens and responses....... - and the minister continued - and I could not stop the tears. They rolled down my cheeks - and as never before - I realized the strength of the community .... I was not alone. How can one be? This is not a personal endeavor - it is a communal endeavor - and as the tears flowed, - I literally felt a “burden” rising from my shoulders. My whole body relaxed and I felt free in the midst of the sorrow and strife - and ugliness ....

The walk home was worst. - Fear filled me ....

<Patti Miller's journal>
http://keepinghistoryalive.com/about.html

[VolcanoJen]

139. "I was very much afraid"

At a funeral. Can I even begin to imagine...?

"I realized the strength of the community... I was not alone."

Can I even...

[struggle4progress]

141. "One needs the beauty of the sunset --- very much"

[Cursive]

143. Thank You

Very touching...gave me goosebumps.

:patriot:

[emilyg]

145. Proud to k/r

[sonias]

148. For Goodman, Chaney, and Schwerner!

You did the right thing, you three brave souls, but the South was heartless and cruel then.

A toast to Medgar Evers who was also from Mississippi.

May you continue to rest in peace. We're picking up where you left off.

:applause:


thanks for the thread VolcanoJen

[Bread and Circus]

150. I salute those people. So courageous.

[skater314159]

151. K&R

:kick:

:grouphug: For all those who gave of their hard work and for those who gave their lives, I lift my glass to you!

I would also like to thank Rosa Parks, Medger Evers, and MLK... and all those whose names have been forgotten by history.

[AtomicKitten]

154. Justice and equality -- Yes, we can!

K&R :)

[MidwestTransplant]

158. Personall not a big fan of Jesse but great post and a great reminder of the significance of tonight.

[Catherina]

159. Beautiful. Your post is making me cry

Thank you Jen. I'm sure there are many beautiful posts in this thread but I don't have time to read them all tonight (bookmarked for later).

Do you mind if I just add four more cases out of the millions for whom this is a win?


For you nameless victims


For you nameless victims


For you Kim


For you and your baby Kim


For you and your daughter, nameless victims


Thank you Jen

[BeyondGeography]

161. Beautifully done...we'll get there yet, Jen

K&R

[VolcanoJen]

181. I'm a dreamer.

Many would rip me to shreds for that, but I am who I am.

:hugs: BeyondGeo :hugs:

[donheld]

162. What a beautiful thought. Thanks for posting this

Yes We Can

[chknltl]

163. YES, WE CAN!

We The People are so close, so close.

[VolcanoJen]

172. So close!!!!

It's keeping us on edge, isn't it?

[chknltl]

184. Damn skippy it is!

Can you feel it? Can you feel it in the pit of your stomach? Thomas Jefferson had a vision, Martin Luther King had a DREAM. We The People are so close to continuing on with that vision, we are so close to realizing a major piece of that DREAM.

I only wanted to see America survive bush. Somehow we got that Democratic Senate, that Democratic House, there is no doubt that we will get that Democratic President. Not in my wildest fantasies could I have hoped for a man who could offer my country soooooo much more than "just" that Democrat in the White House!

So damned much hangs in the ballance and yet, WE ARE SO CLOSE!

[VolcanoJen]

186. Oh, how I admire your optimism!

It keeps me going, it really does. Watching volunteer supporters pour into Ohio from other states lifted me, but you're right there with them.

I've never seen anything like the Obama movememt. Clearly, neither have the Clintons.

To me, watching Bush hand over his wretched reign to Barack Obama is the perfect ending, and beginning of a new chapter, to these years.

Yes, We Can!

[aaronbees]

164. Best DU post in a while

Thank you ... and a big thank you in honor of Goodman, Chaney and Schwerner. :grouphug: :patriot:

[fadedrose]

171. Thank you and thanks to the THREE

K

[awoke_in_2003]

168. I know at this point

it is not needed, but K&R. 3 very brave men.

[DeepModem Mom]

173. Thank you! K&R!

[boppers]

175. I was a bussing kid....

Desegregation was one of the best things that every happened to my life.

Kicked for the history of the moment, and if you think y'all are crying now, remember that November's gonna be one huge-ass street party with tears of joy for days.

[VolcanoJen]

178. Tears of joy for days!!!

Damn you to hell, boppers!!! Damn you to hell for making me cry again!

Imagine, the worldwide celebration. Imagine. Believe. Dream.

:hug: boppers :hug:

[AZBlue]

179. Wow...that gave me chills.

Excellent post!!

[lisainmilo]

180. K&R

What a wonderful & thoughtful thread......:toast:

[ekwhite]

182. Thanks for the reminder

I remember hearing about this 44 years ago, when I was still a child. I grew up in a world of whites only water fountains, KKK murders, and 'separate but equal.' If Obama is sworn in on January 20, 2009, you can bet that Goodman, Chaney and Schwermer will be smiling down from heaven. O8)

[WCGreen]

187. Remember also that Reagan began his campaign for president...

In that very same town...

He choose to speak in that Philadelphia that was awash in violence and bigotry...

[misanthrope]

206. Using code words-"States Rights"-that rang loud and clear for bigots**nm

**

[Melinda]

188. How easy it is to forget, and to treasure... thank you so much for this thread.

in rememberance of these three and all who have actually walked the walk and paid the ultimate price.

:cry:

[Hatfield]

189. The Times, They Are A Changin

Much thanks to you for posting this.

I realized about 10 years ago while in my early 20's, as a white male, in a casino in Biloxi, with my best friend who I grew up with, how we both transcended much of the racist mentality we were inundated with while growing up in the deep south.

While leaving the Grand Casino one evening, an elderly black woman was walking in, both of us held the door open for her, she gladly thanked us and went on her way. I looked over at my buddy and said this would not have happened 40 years ago. I can assure you that this action certainly wasn't instilled within us by our hypocritically racist parents,family, and definitely not the backwoods southern baptist school we both attended while growing up. It was something we learned on our own. I'm proud to say that those racial tendencies ended with us in each of our families.

Both of us were pleased to have cast our vote for Obama in the primaries, myself in Alabama, my buddy in Utah.

While standing in line to vote, I struck up a conversation with an elderly white man, a lifelong republican who was voting for Obama. I doubt he was there doing the bidding of some deranged right wing talk show host, he was there to vote his conscious.

I don't know if Obama can accomplish half of what he speaks of, what I do know is he gives us the opportunity to enact change for the greater good of this country. There is no way in hell I could even think of saying that about Hillary, she has proven time and time again that she is concerned about herself and nothing else.

[VolcanoJen]

190. Damn if that isn't one of the best "First Ever Posts" in DU History.

A hearty Welcome to DU, Hatfield!!!!!!

Edit: I've been humming "The Times, They Are A Changin'" in my head while I work, and also out loud, for weeks now.

Seems like the song of 2008, to me.

[Hatfield]

192. Thank You for the welcome VolcanoJen

You're post seemed like a rather appropriate time for me to finally register here. I've been lurking for quiet awhile now, but the influx of anti-Obama posts has struck a nerve with me. I imagine he could always use another supporter around these here parts.

That little tune you've been hummin in your head, well let's just say that's been my anthem for the entire Democratic primaries so far. As ugly as it may be, I'm elated to be living in a time where we have the option to elect either a woman or an African American candidate for President.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=lZ_XwLSN45I&feature=related

[VolcanoJen]

194. You are a welcome addition.

I wish I could thank you appropriately, with all the grandeur you deserve, but the words fail me.

How about a simple, "You Kick Ass"?

:hug: Hatfield :hug:

I, for one, will be humming this song as these days wear on, and thinking of you.

Come senators, congressmen
Please heed the call
Don't stand in the doorway
Don't block up the hall
For he that gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled
There's a battle outside
And it is ragin'.
It'll soon shake your windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin'

[David Zephyr]

193. K&R.

:thumbsup:

[Corkey Mineola]

195. Thanks

:kick:
These men were featured in a recent documentary called The Jewish Americans. FYI. Powerful story about Jewish students' involvement in the Civil Rights movement.

[Duppers]

196. there a lump in my throat

and tears in my eyes.

thanks, Jen.

[Lithos]

197. thanks

:kick:

[Ellipsis]

198. I had a feeling what this was about 'fore I clicked on this thread

Good on ya!

K&R

[Manifestor_of_Light]

199. And the hateful Ronald Reagan

started his presidential campaign in Philadelphia, Mississippi.

Despicable.

[judasdisney]

207. Reagan, Cheney & Chaney

Reagan's launch of his 1980 campaign in Philadelphia, Missisippi was no accident.

That was the first thing I thought of when I saw this thread. I can't believe it wasn't mentioned sooner.

James Chaney was one of the first Americans to be "Disappeared" Latin America style, for political reasons.

Dick Cheney was the first President (yes, President) to Disappear Americans for political reasons.

Let us hope that Obama's final nail in Hillary's coffin tonight represents a symbolic burial also of the entire 28 year Reagan rape of the public (is that why they call them Rape-publicans?).

[jobycom]

251. Which is why this Mississippian was sickened by Obama's praise of Reagan.

Just my opinion. Form your own.

[TML]

200. Nice Dedication

I'd K/R but you'll have to settle for a K. I don't have enough posts yet.

[Hawkowl]

202. Take that!

Historic milestones like this is what makes me proud to be an American. Let us utterly destroy racism and the Repugnant Party.

[puerco-bellies]

203. These three did more for freedom under fire then 99.9% of freeperdom

Thank you brothers.

[Oilwellian]

204. Wonderful thread Jen

Here's a link to a website you'll really enjoy. It's owned by civil rights movement veterans and there are many pictures and stories to go with them. I think you'll find it inspirational.

http://www.crmvet.org/

I also felt this would be a good place to post this video I made using several pictures from their website:

A Time of Dissent
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSw-RGexyic

[cooolandrew]

205. Thank you to all that have sacrificed. Thanks to those working for Obama le'ts keep it up.=)

[heliarc]

208. Singin' He was my brother.

by Simon and Garfunkel.

He was my brother
Five years older than I
He was my brother
Twenty-three years old the day he died

Freedom writer
They cursed my brother to his face
Go home outsider
This town's gonna be your buryin' place

He was singin' on his knees
An angry mob trailed along
They shot my brother dead
Because he hated what was wrong

He was my brother
Tears can't bring him back to me
He was my brother
And he died so his brothers could be free
He died so his brothers could be free

[xxqqqzme]

209. from the American Bar Association...

'...Civil rights workers Michael Schwerner, James Chaney, and Andrew Goodman disappeared at approximately 10:00 p.m., Sunday, June 21, 1964. The next day their burned-out station wagon was found in the Bogue Chitto swamp, and the bodies of the three civil rights workers were found forty-four days later, buried fifteen feet in an earthen dam. Three years after their murders, twenty-one Klansmen were arrested by the FBI, and on February 27, 1967, a federal grand jury for the Southern District of Mississippi indicted nineteen members of the White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan (White Knights) under Title 18, section 241, for conspiracy "on or about January 1, 1964, and continuing to, on or about December 4, 1964, to injure, oppress, threaten, and intimidate Michael Henry Schwerner, James Earl Chaney, and Andrew Goodman." A two-week federal trial in Meridian, Mississippi, resulted in seven guilty verdicts and sentences ranging from three to ten years.

The State of Mississippi has never filed criminal murder charges against any of the men involved in the murders. ...'

After careful review of the available evidence,.... it is evident that an organization known as the Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission was complicit in the murders of the three civil rights workers.....

...In March 1956, Mississippi Governor J.P. Coleman made a request of the Mississippi legislature to enact a state sovereignty bill that would preserve segregation of the races in the state....The Commission's purpose was to investigate, collect, and disseminate information on so-called race agitators and subversives....the Commission collaborated with law enforcement officers who were sympathetic to and actively supported the Ku Klux Klan....



http://www.abanet.org/irr/hr/spring00humanrights/chaney.html

[happygoluckytoyou]

210. SO WHEN NOVEMBER COMES......WHY WILL---->

WHY will so many blacks NOT vote....

----because they do not have the proper ID
or because they are not registered
or because they cannot wait the 5 hours in line at the ONLY polling place in their neighborhood
or because they are not informed
or because it is a TUESDAY and they cannot get the time off from hourly work



-----------------------------THEN RATHER THAN READ THIS... GO OUT AND HELP PEOPLE GET REGISTERED
----------------AND AHEAD OF TIME IF THEY WILL HAVE ISSUES...
-----GET THEM REGISTERED TO VOTE BY MAIL

IT IS SPRING.... TIME TO REGISTER.... IT IS SPRING.... TIME TO REGISTER.... IT IS SPRING.... TIME TO REGISTER.... IT IS SPRING.... TIME TO REGISTER.... IT IS SPRING.... TIME TO REGISTER.... IT IS SPRING.... TIME TO REGISTER.... IT IS SPRING.... TIME TO REGISTER.... IT IS SPRING.... TIME TO REGISTER.... IT IS SPRING.... TIME TO REGISTER.... IT IS SPRING.... TIME TO REGISTER.... IT IS SPRING.... TIME TO REGISTER.... IT IS SPRING.... TIME TO REGISTER.... IT IS SPRING.... TIME TO REGISTER.... IT IS SPRING.... TIME TO REGISTER.... IT IS SPRING.... TIME TO REGISTER.... IT IS SPRING.... TIME TO REGISTER.... IT IS SPRING.... TIME TO REGISTER.... IT IS SPRING.... TIME TO REGISTER.... IT IS SPRING.... TIME TO REGISTER.... IT IS SPRING.... TIME TO REGISTER....

[ClayZ]

211. K and R

[fight4my3sons]

212. Thank you , Jen

for a beautiful post

[OhioBlue]

213. oh Jen,

Thank you for this post. You brought tears to my eyes.

[WillyT]

214. Right On, Jen !!! - Simply Beautiful !!! - K & R !!!

:patriot::kick::patriot:

:cry:

[mcollier]

218. Social Programming 101

The relentless attempt of the "Powerful" to create distraction, separation and division by use of racial suggestion is the oldest tool in the art of war against ordinary people. Meanwhile, the distracted population is being ripped off by the "Powerful"... Look at the condition of our Country...

Rise above this, look to something new, something better, something real, something good.

Recognize the ability of Barack Obama to bring people of all backgrounds together for the betterment of our Country and our World...

Unfortunately, the same tool of racism is being used to try to destroy what we see can be....

Vote for Barack Obama, not for what he looks like outwardly, but for what he represents, his message, his wisdom, his intellect, his judgment, his commitment to helping every American. We can all be a part of strenghtning American had charting a new course.

Visit www.BarackObama.com Find out how you can join the movement.

Thanks.

[OnceUponTimeOnTheNet]

215. Norman Rockwell's depiction of this event called Southern Justice

By 1963, Rockwell began working for Look magazine. His first piece for the periodical was The Problem We All Live With: He illustrates a 6-year-old black girl being escorted to school by U.S. marshals. Telling the story of desegregation on many levels, the painting is one of his most memorable.

Also addressing the civil-rights struggle is Southern Justice (Murder in Mississippi), completed in 1965. Accompanying the painting is a gallery filled with sketches, reference photos and letters. The material provides insight into Rockwell's intense and deliberate working methods and shows a man deeply and completely aware of the world around him. The painting captures the last moments of slain civil-rights workers Michael Schwerner, James Chaney and Andrew Goodman. Dark and intense, it suggests a heroic stand for justice. Painted in shades of brown, its only intense color is a blood red that stains the victims' shirts.

http://www.columbusdispatch.com/live/content/arts/stories/2007/11/18/2_YATE18.ART_ART_11-18-07_E8_GM8F304.html?print=yes&sid=101

It's one of the most moving paintings I've seen.

edit~ Here is a link to a larger image of the work.

http://www.artchive.com/viewer/z.html

Rockwell was an amazing artist.

[WillyT]

219. Wow... Thank You For That...

I'm wondering how I missed that one for over 52 years.

Damn...

:cry:

[OnceUponTimeOnTheNet]

222. Your welcome. I appreciate his works so so much.

[OnceUponTimeOnTheNet]

220. Larger image link

The one in above isn't working, so I'll put it here for any interested in studying the picture.
Clicking the image will enlarge it.
.html

[Kukesa]

223. That blood-red stain

reminded me of the little girl wearing the red coat in "Schindler's List."

Thanks for the post.

[caseycoon]

216. K&R Jen, although your post doesn't need it...

I needed to do it.
Thanks to all who posted here, though it has kept me in tears this morning. I was 21 years old when those boys were killed. It was a terrible time in the history of our country & I have never understood the hatred of those times, just as I cannot understand any of the hatred I still see that is prevalent now.
Just to see Barack Obama close to succeeding in his run for the Presidential nomination gives me back a lot of faith in my fellow citzizens. That people of all races are joining together to make it possible, even in Mississippi, is thrilling. My words are so feeble compared to what I am feeling.
Thank you Jen & thanks to soleft as well for posting this.
:toast:

[Surya Gayatri]

217. Tears welling up here...

Lest we forget: the price of freedom will forever be the sacrifice of individual comfort for the common good.
God rest these three brave young men and the thousands of other genuine patriots who have fought the good fight through the years. SG

:patriot: :patriot: :patriot:

[redqueen]

224. Thanks to you and soleft for reminding us...

[Ellen Forradalom]

225. Gratitude to those three gentlemen

Who acted to ensure that any may stand for office, and all may vote. Their sacrifice was not in vain.

I submit that both our front runners are evidence of this sea change. Although a more direct line may be traced from these three men to Mr. Obama, the fact that Ms. Clinton can stand and be a serious contender also supports the ideal that any can stand for office.

[fascisthunter]

226. I Missed This Last Night, But GREAT THREAD!

Highlighting the positive... thank you for this. And Good Morning!

[Duder]

228. Thanks for recognizing the sacrifices made and significance of.

Earlier in the day I received mail with a portrait on a postage stamp of Charles W. Chesnutt. Not being familiar with him I looked him up and came across this speech he made in 1905 which may also be appropriate:

“Looking down the vista of time I see an epoch in our nation's history, not in my time or yours, but in the not distant future, when there shall be in the United States but one people, molded by the same culture, swayed by the same patriotic ideals, holding their citizenship in such high esteem that for another to share it is of itself to entitle him to fraternal regard; when men will be esteemed and honored for their character and talents. When hand in hand and heart with heart all the people of this nation will join to preserve to all and to each of them for all future time that ideal of human liberty which the fathers of the republic set out in the Declaration of Independence, which declared that all men are created equal, the ideal for which Garrison and Phillips and Sumner lived and worked; the ideal for which Lincoln died, the ideal embodied in the words of the Book which the slave mother learned by stealth to read, with slow-moving finger and faltering speech, and which I fear that some of us have forgotten to read at all-the Book which declares that "God is no respecter of persons, and that of one blood hath he made all the nations of the earth."

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

229. I've never forgotten

these three brave men, and the sacrifice they made for equal rights.

[0007]

230. Far out! Many Kudos to Jen.

"let's pause to thank those three brave, young men, who gave their lives so that tonight would even be possible."

[AlinPA]

231. Great post. Rec'd.

[alteredstate]

232. We must never forget.

Thank you.

[Uncle Joe]

233. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, VolcanoJen.

[Kajsa]

234. I remember it well, Jen.

I was 12 at the time, and remember how these three brave young men were
putting their lives on the line, to help register people to vote.

Somehow, this didn't jive at all with the lessons that had taught me that
the US was the "land of the free".

But it certainly is the land of the brave.

Bless each and every one of those brave young men and all those who came before and
after to fight for equality for all Americans.

Thanks so much for this, Jen.

:)

[NanceGreggs]

236. Had to wait for the teary eyes to clear ...

... before replying.

What an incredibly wonderful, uplifting post! And what a beautiful memorial to those three men, and all of their companions-in-arms who gave so much of themselves so that this day might happen.

Thank you so much for reminding us what the battle is about, and how far we've come thanks to people like these three.

[Pappy]

237. Emotion overwelms me, but I hope Obama becomes President.

[Counciltucky]

238. I did not know about this.

Thanks for enlightening me about this! Shows what kind of progress progressives have made. There's a ways to go, but this, coupled with the events of last night, truly shows that America is indeed the Land of Opportunity.

[Blue_Roses]

239. and so many more

who died because of ignorant bigots who feared for change

:applause:

[satireV]

240. You played the race card against Sen Clinton

You should be ashamed of yourself. Obama wouldnt' do this, by doing so you have used right wing smear tacts that Rove would be proud of.

Then you actually said people should vote by race.

This is about as low as you can get.

[JenniferJuniper]

241. "I'm going down to Mississippi

I'm going down a southern road
And if you never see me again
Remember that I had to go
Remember that I had to go

It's a long road down to Mississippi
It's a short road back the other way
If the cops pull you over to the side of the road
You won't have nothin' to say
No, you won't have nothin' to say

There's a man waiting down in Mississippi
And he's waiting with a rifle in his hand
And he's looking down the road for an out-of-state car
And he thinks he's fighting for his land
Yes, he thinks he's fighting for his land

And he won't know the clothes I'm wearing
And he doesn't know the name that I own
But his gun is large and his hate is hard
And he knows I'm coming down the road
Yes, he knows I'm coming down the road

It's not for the glory that I'm leaving
It's not trouble that I'm looking for
But there's lots of good work calling me down
And The waiting won't do no more
No, The waiting won't do no more

Don't call me the brave one for going
No, don't pin a medal to my name
For even if there was any choice to make
I'd be going down just the same
I'd be going down just the same

For someone's got to go to Mississippi
Just as sure as there's a right and there's a wrong
Even though you say the time will change
That time is just too long
That time is just too long"

Phil Ochs

[parkeradison]

242. Thank you for the reminder

Thank you very much for your post about the three young men who gave their lives to pave the way for the right to vote and to run for public office for all, even the highest office in the land.

[AnarchoFreeThinker]

244. peace. K&R.

[maxpower]

245. Well said

We've come a long way, but still have a ways to go. K&R

Peace

[mdmc]

249. oxford town oxford town

everybody got their head bowed down

[Kermitt Gribble]

250. Beautiful post, VolcanoJen!

Proud to add the 238th rec!

[reggie the dog]

252. right on

3 regular folks who were heros.

I became a fan of Jesse Jackson during my teen years in the Chicago suburbs, first because he really riled up my right wing family members, then later because of my understanding of his "Rainbow Push Coalition". He fights for the little folks, the underdogs, the poor.

[reggie the dog]

253. Imagine if

Mississippi ends up voting Democrat again in November..........

I truly believe that if he is nominated there will be huge turnout in the black communities in the deep south, coupled with the folks that always vote Democrat that may be enough to flip Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Virginia, Louisiana, and the Carolinas to the Democrats. Even if just a couple of thoses states flipped that would send one hell of a message to the world.

[The Traveler]

254. Heroes

have walked those rocky trails and brought us this far. I add my thanks, for reminding us of those events, and how they relate to what is happening right now.

Raising now a glass to them, and you, and all who stand for what is right.

[jimmil]

255. My father volunteered to work with John Doar on this case

I only remember some of the things going on then as I was but a teenager. The KKK set a bomb off in front of our house blowing the doors and windows out. For quite some time we went to school with federal agents protecting us. No one tried to kill us after that though. Still, at school we were taunted as N* lovers. That was about the worst thing you could be called in Mississippi then. It was a pretty hard time for us kids especially when Ross Barnett's daughter lived down the street from us. If we were outside playing and he drove by in the big black Cadillac and he would just glare at us. He definitely knew who we were and it was spooky. He was a very hateful man and I was scared to death of him. Thinking back I should have flipped him off.

[Kukesa]

262. That must have been a terrible time for you.

Thanks for your post and for sharing your memories -- and welcome to DU!

:hi:

[lumberjack_jeff]

256. And for those who were complicit in their murder...

... the only viable alternative at the polls is a woman.

The times, they are a-changin'.

[Maraya1969]

257. That's the year Michelle Obama was born. Tell that to all the white

people who were SO insulted when she said something of being very proud of her country NOW as opposed to many times in her life that she wasn't proud.

[saigon68]

265. Especially that scary McCain woman

[mzmolly]

259. So glad I saw this just in time to recommend.

We have come a long way as a country, even if we fail to remember that at times.

[chknltl]

263. kick

I do not know if this kick places this thread back on greatest page or not but I hope so because it is without question one of our greatest threads!

[Scurrilous]

264. Kick

:kick: