Author Archives: sec040121

“I usually stood across the street from the Court House to observe the demonstrations and then helped the folks from the Commercial with the stories which were sent in to the Commercial Appeal on my teletype in the kitchen. They made fun … Continue reading →

“By the next day some 55 newsmen, including a reporter from the British Broadcasting Company, had arrived in Greenwood to cover the story. They were asked to register at the police station, which they did. All of the television networks … Continue reading →

“Meantime voter registration was picking up and there was a lot of tension in the community. Prior to this time [1963] Negroes had been allowed to register, but anyone registering to vote had to pass a test, and most of … Continue reading →

“On February 20 [1963] three Negro businesses burned and fire officials said there was no suspicion of arson. Sam Block, one of the original civil rights workers to come to Greenwood with the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee, reported the fire … Continue reading →

“About this time [early 1963] the first of the national news media began showing up in Greenwood. Hearing about the commodities issue, CBS sent a crew in to cover the story. Nelson Benton was heading up the crew of three, … Continue reading →

“Some of the [Citizens] Council members were keeping an eye on every Negro who registered to vote and reporting this information back to their employer with the suggestion that they might want to fire this person. Some did lose their … Continue reading →

“One of the most disturbing incidents that occurred during this period was the integration of Ole Miss. We had been reading stories about efforts underway to get blacks into the University, and then on September 3, 1962, a federal district … Continue reading →

“Prior to 1963 there were less than 400 Negroes registered to vote in Leflore County. In 1960 the FBI came to Greenwood to look at voting records in the Circuit Clerk’s office. County officials stated that they had nothing to … Continue reading →

  “The Citizens Council had an office in downtown Greenwood with Bob ‘Tut’ Patterson of Indianola, one of its organizers, in charge. He took his text on the literature being used by churches and even the Girl Scouts and the … Continue reading →

“About this time the Citizens Council had been organized in Indianola and quickly spread throughout the state. At first we did not pay much attention to the organization and little realized the role theywould play in the years to come. … Continue reading →