Obama Introduces Resolution to Commemorate the 44th Anniversary of the Deaths of Three Civil Rights Workers in Mississippi
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
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CONTACT: Michael Ortiz, 202 228 5566
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Barack Obama today introduced a resolution commemorating the 44th anniversary of the deaths of Andrew Goodman, James Chaney, and Michael Schwerner, who were murdered in Philadelphia, Mississippi while registering voters and working to defeat voter disenfranchisement during the summer of 1964.
"Every day, we must remember the extraordinary sacrifices these three young men made to ensure that all Americans could exercise their right to vote," said Senator Obama. "Goodman, Chaney, and Schwerner's service to our nation reflects the very values that we must work to uphold in our own lives - steadfast resolve, commitment to equality, and love of country - and these men will never be forgotten. I am proud to introduce this resolution today to mark their sacrifices, as well as the service of so many Jewish Americans who stood shoulder to shoulder with the African American community during the Civil Rights Movement."
In 1964, Goodman, Chaney, and Schwerner volunteered to work at the "Freedom Summer" project, which involved several civil rights organizations, to register African American voters in Mississippi. However, after investigating the burning of the Mount Zion Methodist Church, they were arrested and detained by local police, and were later murdered by the Ku Klux Klan. The disappearance of the three young men sparked a national uproar, and President Lyndon Johnson ordered hundreds of troops into the region to search for the bodies, as well as 150 federal agents to investigate the case. While many men were arrested in connection with these murders, the charges were eventually dismissed. However, four decades later, Edgar Ray Killen was convicted of manslaughter in connection with these deaths.