WASHINGTON — For many young civil rights workers in 1964, there was no better place than Mississippi to challenge a system that kept blacks voiceless and disenfranchised.
The state had one of the largest black populations in the South. Yet, less than 5 percent of blacks were registered to vote, according to the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies. In some counties, not a single black person was registered.
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”It was a major national event and it had an impact on shaping public opinion on civil rights nationally,” said David Bositis, a senior analyst for the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies. “Freedom Summer was important because it brought to the North what was going on in Mississippi.”
This article was previously available at clarionledger.com.
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