Rep. Thompson speaks on Freedom Summer

U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson was the featured speaker at the 60th Anniversary commemoration of Freedom Summer held at the Ellis Theatre on Saturday.

The event honored the legacy of civil rights workers James Chaney, 21, Andrew Goodman, 20, and Michael Schwerner, 24, three young men who were murdered in Neshoba County by the Ku Klux Klan on June 21, 1964, in a conspiracy that involved law enforcement.

The event also marked the 20th Anniversary of the Philadelphia Coalition, a 30-member multiethnic group of local citizens that called for justice in the triple murder the state of Mississippi did not prosecute in 1964.

In 2004, business and political leaders, including then-Gov Haley R. Barbour, backed the coalition’s call for justice in the decades-old murders.

“With firm resolve and strong belief in the rule of law, we call on the Neshoba County District Attorney, the state Attorney General and the U.S. Department of Justice to make every effort to seek justice in this case,” the one-page resolution said in part.

Barbour stood with the coalition on the 40th anniversary of the murders at the Neshoba County Coliseum to say that ignoring evil is a complicit sin.

“We know that when evil is done it is a complicit sin to ignore it, to pretend it didn’t happen even if it happened 40 years ago. You have to face up to your problems before you can solve them,” Barbour said at the time.

Following the call for justice, a Neshoba County grand jury indicted Edgar Ray Killen in 2005, and he was later convicted and sentenced to a 60-year prison term for arranging the murders. He died at Parchman Prison in January 2018. Killen was 92. 

 The Neshoba Youth Coalition sponsored the event at the Ellis on Saturday.

Thompson greeted the crowd, expressing his gratitude for being in Philadelphia for what he said were all the right reasons.

“I wonder if Martin, Medgar, and Fannie Lou would come back today,” he began. “What would they say? Would they say have we overcome — or would they say — has my work been in vain?” 

Thompson added, “I think it’s a little bit of both.”

He thanked the young people in the community for their leadership and for reminding older people not to forget their history and its lessons. 

“If you are in the Ellis Theatre today, you can see the good in Philadelphia today,” he said, pointing to the young ushers and the community’s efforts to remember the past and prevent its recurrence.

Thompson reflected on the progress since 1964, highlighting the significance of having an African American mayor in Philadelphia.

“What you do here today keeps the fire burning,” he said. “Making sure that 50 years after this event, somebody will know what Freedom Summer was all about.”

Thompson shared personal stories of growing up in Bolton and the challenges of a segregated school system, which fueled his commitment to justice. He praised his teachers for instilling resilience and the importance of education.

“It’s those experiences that I draw on when I get weak,” he said. 

He also spoke about his role as a grandfather and the importance of supporting young people, sharing a story about his grandson’s academic success. Thompson stressed the need for adults to work with and mentor the younger generation.

Speaking of his six young interns in Congress who had the opportunity to visit the White House, Thompson asked, “If I don’t give young people that opportunity, who will?”

He further urged those in positions of responsibility to lead by example and involve themselves in the activities of young people. 

“This 60-year celebration is about remembering our past but building a future,” he said.

Thompson emphasized the importance of providing the best education possible, regardless of the cost, to ensure competitiveness in a global landscape and criticized the disparity in funding between education and incarceration.

“Education is important and is your way out,” he added. “For you in this community, I’m excited about what you are doing, and I want you to continue to do that.”

Reflecting on his tenure as chairman of the Jan. 6 committee, Thompson recounted his efforts to protect democracy. 

“There were people hellbent on taking over and not allowing the peaceful transfer of power to occur,” he said. “For that moment, they picked a boy from Bolton, Miss., who went to Bolton colored school, who never had a new textbook, who felt the sting of discrimination his entire life, to now chair a committee that determines the future of this country. That’s a powerful thing.”

“The three civil rights workers that we honor here today and continue to honor gave their life to make this country a better place, and I’m not going to let anybody mess that up,” he added.

He concluded by urging the community to keep working with and investing in young people, setting an example for future generations.