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Ed Spannaus correspondence, June-September 1964
1964-06-20 Mike Kenney to Ed Spannaus Page 1
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20 June 1964 Summer Project Western College for Women Oxford, Ohio Hi Ed, Today was the last day of training for most of the volunteers. Those of us who are staying on for various reasons saw off two bus loads. It was some scene, man. I felt as if I was waving some people to their deaths. The full dimensions of the project are becoming clear. The area I am going into, the Southwest, is the most dangerous of the state with an estimated 60,000 whites armed, some with sub/machine guns and grenades. The specific county I will be working in is the most dangerous county in the Southwest. There is only one house in the whole county we can stay in. We will travel only in groups of 4 and never at night. We will, of course. be unarmed. We will have a fone installed by the time we get there, but it will be a party line -- and of course, if the vigilantes decide to wipe out the house they could cut the fone and power lines and we would have no communication from this isolated farm to the outside. Therefore, we are going to try to raise enough money to buy an auxillary gasoline generator, a two way radio, etc. The need is urgent. If you could help raise any funds for these purposes, we would be very grateful -- to say the least. Money should be sent by POSTAL MONEY ORDER to me until about friday here, or after to me c/o Steptoe, Osyka, Mississippi, by REGISTERED MAIL RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED. If you do not receive acknowledgement for mail within 10 days, follow up with a latter asking about it. I am going to Washington tomorrow for four days to try to see Kuchel and Bobby Kennedy, James Roosevelt, etc. as is the whole Southwest crew. I do not know exactly when we are leaving here -- some time next week-- or how. But even if I did, we have imposed tight security which couldn't be broken. When this is all over I hope I can remember the experiences of this orientation accurately. The SNCC leaders are incredible people !!! The whole decision/making process is very much like a Quaker meeting and I am overwhelmed by the intense concern of every staff member for the individuality and humanity of each person they work with. Such a revolutionary group I could not have imagined. We are trying to set up a wave of pressure across the nation demanding federal protection for us (hence the trip
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20 June 1964 Summer Project Western College for Women Oxford, Ohio Hi Ed, Today was the last day of training for most of the volunteers. Those of us who are staying on for various reasons saw off two bus loads. It was some scene, man. I felt as if I was waving some people to their deaths. The full dimensions of the project are becoming clear. The area I am going into, the Southwest, is the most dangerous of the state with an estimated 60,000 whites armed, some with sub/machine guns and grenades. The specific county I will be working in is the most dangerous county in the Southwest. There is only one house in the whole county we can stay in. We will travel only in groups of 4 and never at night. We will, of course. be unarmed. We will have a fone installed by the time we get there, but it will be a party line -- and of course, if the vigilantes decide to wipe out the house they could cut the fone and power lines and we would have no communication from this isolated farm to the outside. Therefore, we are going to try to raise enough money to buy an auxillary gasoline generator, a two way radio, etc. The need is urgent. If you could help raise any funds for these purposes, we would be very grateful -- to say the least. Money should be sent by POSTAL MONEY ORDER to me until about friday here, or after to me c/o Steptoe, Osyka, Mississippi, by REGISTERED MAIL RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED. If you do not receive acknowledgement for mail within 10 days, follow up with a latter asking about it. I am going to Washington tomorrow for four days to try to see Kuchel and Bobby Kennedy, James Roosevelt, etc. as is the whole Southwest crew. I do not know exactly when we are leaving here -- some time next week-- or how. But even if I did, we have imposed tight security which couldn't be broken. When this is all over I hope I can remember the experiences of this orientation accurately. The SNCC leaders are incredible people !!! The whole decision/making process is very much like a Quaker meeting and I am overwhelmed by the intense concern of every staff member for the individuality and humanity of each person they work with. Such a revolutionary group I could not have imagined. We are trying to set up a wave of pressure across the nation demanding federal protection for us (hence the trip
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