The other major event in US history from June 6 I’d like to discuss today is the March Against Fear, a protest begun by James Meredith in Mississippi in 1966. Although it may seem rather different than my earlier memorialization of Operation Overlord (see previous blog post), there are, in fact, some connections.
These two events shine a bright light on what can make the United States a frustrating place at times. On the one hand, we have the massive sacrifice given to defeat Nazi Germany in World War 2. The US had some self-interest in the result, yes. But I don’t think I’m going very far onto a limb when I write that the second half of the 20th century was better off for it. I know the Cold War was dangerous. Most of my readers probably have no idea how dangerous it was at times. Look up the Cuban Missile Crisis and Operation Able Archer if you need a good scare. However, any ending of World War 2 that doesn’t result in the defeat of Nazi Germany is almost certainly worse.
One the other hand, however, we witness the treatment of African American soldiers who helped defeat the Nazis. Jackie Robinson underwent a court-martial on his base for protesting segregation there. One soldier expressed his frustration with segregation by stating: “The Army jim-crows us. The Navy lets us serve only as messmen. The Red Cross refuses our blood. Employers and labor unions shut us out. Lynchings continue. We are disenfranchised, jim-crowed, spat upon. What more could Hitler do than that?” Even though we know the answer to the last question is “a lot more,” the point remains a good one.
James Meredith and His Courageous March Against Fear
James Meredith was a veteran, spending nine years in the Air Force. When he returned to Mississippi, Meredith was willing to undertake sacrifice to create change. He became the first African American to attend the University of Mississippi in 1962 after the major showdown at Ole Miss when racist students and other Mississippians rioted to prevent his enrollment.
Please Click Here to Subscribe to My History Blog!
That was not the end of Meredith’s civil rights career, however. In 1966, Meredith decided to make his famous March Against Fear, a solo march from Memphis to Jackson, Mississippi, “to challenge the all-pervasive overriding fear” many black Mississippians still felt when they attempted to register to vote. I can imagine few acts more courageous than a solitary march on Mississippi’s public highways by a black person in 1966.
Meredith didn’t get far. Almost immediately upon crossing into Mississippi, a white Mississippian shot him in the back with a shotgun. Although Meredith did not die, and in fact recovered to finish the March Against Fear, civil rights organizations flocked to Mississippi after his shooting. The result was one of the major moments of the Civil Rights Movement.
Black Power!
It was at this time that Stokely Carmichael, newly elected head of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, popularized a phrase that has since become famous: “Black Power.” The phrase does not mean what most people think it does, however. The phrase was a call for self-determination, for black people to have a say in making decisions that affect them. It was not, as many believe, a call for black people to become angry and start causing trouble without any concrete program. The reason for the confusion is that the media distorted the message of Black Power to discredit the idea.
Martin Luther King, Jr., who also came to Mississippi to take part in continuing the march, knew this would happen. He recognized the need for a slogan to unite people, King also believed in what Black Power was really about, and he foresaw the phrase might alienate some people even as it energized others. (Please read his essay about Black Power if you want a more thorough investigation of his thinking on the matter.)
By the end of the March Against Fear, 15,000 people reached Jackson. They had to deal with police brutality and beatings along the way, especially in Canton, Mississippi. Meredith’s solo march had transformed into a mass demonstration. But the legacy of Black Power lingered. Meredith’s treatment on the March Against Fear radicalized many in the Civil Rights Movement. It’s a major reason why the Civil Rights Movement looked very different, and angrier, in the second half of the 1960s as compared to the first half.
Please Subscribe!
If you enjoyed this blog, please sign up to follow it by scrolling down or clicking here, and recommending it to your friends. I’d love to have you aboard! You can also follow me on Facebook by clicking here.
As always, I welcome constructive and polite discussion in the comments section. Thank you!