A pivotal 1964 voter registration drive in Mississippi, it aimed to increase Black voter registration and challenge segregation. Organized by the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), the project brought together college students, both Black and white, from across the country to work alongside local activists. The effort involved establishing Freedom Schools to educate and empower Black communities and providing legal support to those facing discrimination.
This campaign’s significance lies in its contribution to the Civil Rights Movement by exposing the deep-seated racial discrimination and violence prevalent in the South. The brutal murders of three civil rights workersJames Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwernerdrew national attention to the injustices faced by Black Americans and galvanized public support for federal legislation protecting voting rights. It also fostered a sense of empowerment within Black communities and laid the groundwork for future activism.