With the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Freedom Riders next week in Jackson, I thought I would share a couple of books with you about the Civil Rights Era here in Mississippi and nationwide.

Breach of Peace: Portraits of the 1961 Mississippi Freedom Riders by Eric Etheridge

Eric, a native Mississippian, has put together a fantastic book with the mugshots, current photos and interviews with over 80  Freedom Riders of 1961.  These brave people came to Jackson in the spring and summer of 1961 determined to bring civil rights to the state by challenging the segregation laws that were in place.

Over 300 people were arrested and convicted of the charge ‘breach of peace’.  The Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission whose purpose was to “perform any and all acts deemed necessary and proper to protect the sovereignty of the state of Mississippi” recorded the name, mug shot and personal details of each Freedom Rider that was arrested.  Of course, by doing so they unintentionally but luckily for us, created a treasure trove of information about these heroes of the Civil Rights Movement here in Mississippi.  This information is collected here in Breach of Peace and is a wonderful source of information about a chapter in Mississippi and U.S. history that has yet to find closure.

Local People: The Struggle for Civil Rights in Mississippi by John Dittmer

John Dittmer, who was a professor of history at Tougaloo College from 1967-1979, has written a history of the Civil Rights Movement in Mississippi in shocking detail.  While he does mention the national figures, Martin Luther King, Jr., John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson, he mainly focuses on the largely forgotten grass root civil rights workers.  Dittmer’s point is that these national leaders were forced to act because of the determination of the ‘local people’ and their refusal to give up the struggle for racial justice.

If you would like to know more about the reunion events for the Freedom Riders, check out their website.

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