By the mid twentieth century, Mississippi’s African Americans had suffered from nearly 75 years of slavery by another name – Jim Crow discrimination. In 1964 in Mississippi, people died in an effort to force the state to allow African Americans to exercise their constitutional right to vote. Although the 50th anniversary of Freedom Summer has passed, the struggle for voting rights is still pertinent. According to the NAACP, states have recently passed the most laws limiting voter participation since Jim Crow. Moreover, these laws also disenfranchise other people of color, the elderly, poor, and disabled.
With historical footage and interviews with Freedom Summer architects and volunteers, as well as present day activists, 1964: THE FIGHT FOR A RIGHT uses Mississippi to explain American voting issues in the last 150 years. For instance, why are red states red?
Airs on WXXI-TV March 21, 2018 at 3:00 am (1 hour long)
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