In the documentary “Freedom on My Mind”, what surprised, shocked, or inspired you the most? What did you learn that you did not know?
In the documentary “Freedom on My Mind”, what surprised, shocked, or inspired you the most? What did you learn that you did not know?
Powered by WordPress & Theme by Anders Norén
Harry Hoke
What I found most striking about viewing “Freedom on my Mind” was the of systematic problems in the National Democratic Party that led to the failure of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party in obtaining seats at the DNC. After sending both black and white students to Mississippi to register voters, the immediate response from the community was to shut out the volunteers, most times with violence. Hearing the testimonies of the campaign to increase voter registration were shocking, but what I did not know prior to the reading or to viewing the documentary was the extent to which the national Democratic Party was invested in appeasing the south. Though the MFDP was successful in mobilizing multiple grassroots organizations to achieve a common goal, their goal was dependent on the idea that the DNC would be receptive. What shocked me was the extent to which President Johnson was willing to appease the south in an attempt to secure his reelection. Hearing the testimonies from activists that watched President Johnson’s team use political capital to turn the attitude of the party away from their cause, as well as calling a press conference during their initial hearing, not only struck me, but further pulled away from my trust in electoral institutions.
Adriana Toledo
“Freedom on My Mind” taught me a lot about the racial tensions in Mississippi. I knew that many Southern whites were against voting rights for African Americans but I did not know about the violence towards African Americans that resulted from the fight to gain voting rights. It was saddening to see that a representative went so far as to kill a black man he had known from a young age because he was the first registered black voter. What was really shocking to me was how much animosity there was towards African Americans in Mississippi and how that was extended to their white allies. However I was inspired by the multi-racial solidarity between the volunteers. Despite knowing there could be violent outbursts black and white volunteers were still willing to go to Mississippi. I also thought the success of Dr. Holland was really inspiring because she thought so little of herself when she was younger. She recalled reading her first book written by an African American author and being shocked because she didn’t think African Americans could be writers. Then she went on to receive an education and became a professor and a writer herself.
Samuel Blakley
The discipline and focused planning demonstrated by the efforts to promote racial equality in Mississippi was what impressed me the most in the documentary. The movement picked a very specific policy related goal that they knew would be most effective in moving Mississippi toward equality and worked toward it strategically and without violence. The perseverance they showed throughout was also awe inspiring. Despite failures to gain voting rights initially, the murders of three members of the movement, and the ultimate betrayal at the convention by President Johnson, the brave men and women of the movement did not stop pushing for equality. The Mississippi Freedom Democrats effort ultimately being thwarted by Lyndon B Johnson was sadly not surprising to me. Despite being a champion of Civil Rights in the sixties, he was a man that was known to casually refer to African American’s as n******rs with frequency. This may have been more acceptable in the sixties than it is now, but that doesn’t fully excuse it. Especially when you remember that he said things such as “I’ll have these n******rs voting democratic for the next 200 years” when discussing the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Seeing how he undermined the MFDP for the sake of political positioning and made comments such as the aforementioned, it makes one wonder if the efforts put forth by white politicians on behalf of the equality cause were genuine. It appears as though the interests of minorities, in this case at least, are only addressed when it is to the convenience of those with the power to make the most lasting change.
Robert Morelli
The importance of getting one’s message out on a national level that was shown in “Freedom on My Mind” to invoke social change is what stood out to me most especially when considering grass roots movements. Legal inequality and discrimination against African Americans persisted as long as it did in the United States due to the ability for those in places of power to ignore them and therefore to be ignored by the American people. Even though the Civil Rights Act had passed and the general population agreed something needed to be done, its unsatisfactory nature left African Americans discontented as there were still many barriers to full equality under the law. It was paramount that those disenfranchised peoples, Bob Mosses and Ednesha Ida Mae Holland, did not let the issue go. Instead of being compliant, those brave enough were able to gain traction by continuing to advance the injustices that still impede on their rights. As these first movement were small, the documentary highlights the importance of the organization of “Freedom Summer” by recruiting college students from around the country to force the issue on a national level, and led to over 80,000 members for signing for the insurgent Mississippi Democratic Freedom Party and later the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965.
Kelly Quinn
What shocked me the most about this documentary was the horrific stories that many of the participants shared from their childhoods in Mississippi. One of the most disturbing memories was from Endesha Ida Mae Holland who recalled being raped at age 11 by a white man that she worked for. On top of this, Holland was also forced to keep this assault a secret because there was nothing anyone could do to bring her justice. It was extremely disturbing to learn that the rape of a young African American girl could go completely unpunished while an African American male could be lynched for looking a white woman in the eyes or “eye raping” her. This and similar recollections really helped to depict the severity of racial segregation in Mississippi in the 1960s.