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Ed Spannaus correspondence, June-September 1964
1964-08-20 Ed Spannaus to his parents Page 1
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609 Bowen Moss Point, Mississippi 20 August 1964 Dear Folks: Sorry I don't write more often to more people, but I honestly don't have the time. The days are now spent talking to block captains or doing any number of other things that pop up; in the evenings we generally have meetings, sometimes after meetings the staff gets together at a home. (We are restricted from going to bars and from going anywhere in couples, especially interracial dating, both for security reasons and for reasons of maintaining a favorable image in the community.) Our staff is beginning to dwindle away. Three have already left for good. All of the people who are staying here this fall are in Jackson for a three-day conference, so I have been more or less in charge here for the past few days. Two or three of our staff are going on to the Convention in Atlantic City. I would like to go but I think I can do more good here; in addition, I am slightly skeptical about turning a hundred or so people loose in Atlantic City who have been penned up in Mississippi for a couple of months. But rest assured that there will be demonstrations in the event that the regular Party gets seated; such would really be a blow to the workers, but, more important, to the people of Mississippi. At least five of our staff is staying on this winter; this is much the pattern all over the state. I think this attests to the success of the Summer Project, that so many feel it is worth taking time off from school to continue this work. (And most are very intelligent people.) One of the most humorous aspects of the whole situation here is the reactions we get from local whites. Most have probable read about those nasty COFO agitators in the paper, but have seldom seen Negroes and whites in social contact, much less COFO workers, as we don't often leave the Negro community. So when they see us they usually just give a doubletake and just stare at us. We get some really hostile looks, but most of the time it is just an incredulous gawk. The other day I was walking with a fellow from Mississippi, and this lady driving by almost jumped out of her seat. In Gulfport the drivers of two cars were staring so hard at the COFO workers that they ran into each other! I will write to Mrs. Rall, but I'm not sure yet what I am going to say. It seems to me that people who say that this project is all a mistake either (1) have not had access to accurate information about the work of the summer project, or (2) feel threatened by a change in the present system. Of course the white populace has not had access to accurate information as to what COFO is all about (as the clippings I sent should indicate.) Every day I become more convinced of the rightness of this work, and more aware that this is the most worthwhile thing I have ever done.
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609 Bowen Moss Point, Mississippi 20 August 1964 Dear Folks: Sorry I don't write more often to more people, but I honestly don't have the time. The days are now spent talking to block captains or doing any number of other things that pop up; in the evenings we generally have meetings, sometimes after meetings the staff gets together at a home. (We are restricted from going to bars and from going anywhere in couples, especially interracial dating, both for security reasons and for reasons of maintaining a favorable image in the community.) Our staff is beginning to dwindle away. Three have already left for good. All of the people who are staying here this fall are in Jackson for a three-day conference, so I have been more or less in charge here for the past few days. Two or three of our staff are going on to the Convention in Atlantic City. I would like to go but I think I can do more good here; in addition, I am slightly skeptical about turning a hundred or so people loose in Atlantic City who have been penned up in Mississippi for a couple of months. But rest assured that there will be demonstrations in the event that the regular Party gets seated; such would really be a blow to the workers, but, more important, to the people of Mississippi. At least five of our staff is staying on this winter; this is much the pattern all over the state. I think this attests to the success of the Summer Project, that so many feel it is worth taking time off from school to continue this work. (And most are very intelligent people.) One of the most humorous aspects of the whole situation here is the reactions we get from local whites. Most have probable read about those nasty COFO agitators in the paper, but have seldom seen Negroes and whites in social contact, much less COFO workers, as we don't often leave the Negro community. So when they see us they usually just give a doubletake and just stare at us. We get some really hostile looks, but most of the time it is just an incredulous gawk. The other day I was walking with a fellow from Mississippi, and this lady driving by almost jumped out of her seat. In Gulfport the drivers of two cars were staring so hard at the COFO workers that they ran into each other! I will write to Mrs. Rall, but I'm not sure yet what I am going to say. It seems to me that people who say that this project is all a mistake either (1) have not had access to accurate information about the work of the summer project, or (2) feel threatened by a change in the present system. Of course the white populace has not had access to accurate information as to what COFO is all about (as the clippings I sent should indicate.) Every day I become more convinced of the rightness of this work, and more aware that this is the most worthwhile thing I have ever done.
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