Mississippi Protest Gathering in Atlantic City, NJ Revisited

60 years ago, a group of Mississippi “Freedom Fighters” walked the Boardwalk in Atlantic City, New Jersey during United States President Lyndon Johnson’s 1964 Democratic National Convention.

Black and White Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party supporters participated in the protest march.

They carried signs that read, “Freedom Now" and "MFDP Supports LBJ" while marching on the boardwalk at the 1964 Democratic National Convention.

A very special event took place at Kennedy Plaza in front of Historic Boardwalk Hall.

At the Tuesday, August 20, 2024 Atlantic City event, they shared the profound background of this monumentally important event in United States civil rights history as follows:

On April 26, 1964, more than 200 activists met in Jackson and officially established the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP), an alternative to the regular state Derocratic Party that systemically prevented Blacks from participating in electoral politics. Movement leader Fannie Lou Hamer described the MFDP as being necessary for Black Mississippians "to become first-class citizens."

The MFDP was formed as a part of Freedom Summer, a multifaceted project to expose the rest of the country to the culture of violence, segregation, and oppression Black people experienced in Mississippi. The project involved voter registration, encouraging local people to run for office, and creating Freedom Schools for Black children. Freedom Summer brought in hundreds of White student volunteers from across the country. Early on, the project was shaken by the disappearance of activists James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner. As Freedom Summer progressed, Black Mississippians attempted to participate in the nearly 2,000 precinct meetings of the state's all-White Democratic Party, but were systematically rejected. By July, unseating the official state party during the August Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City, New Jersey, became the primary focus of Freedom Summer. Small MFDP conventions were held in towns across the state. Tragically, the murdered bodies of Chaney, Goodman, and Schwerner were found on August 4.

Armed with photos of Chaney, Goodman, and Schwerner and stories about their own experience in segregated Mississippi, MFDP delegates protested on the Atlantic City boardwalk and passionately lobbied other state party delegates to seat the MFDP during the convention. Fannie Lou Hamer delivered riveting testimony to the Credentials Committee, bluntly describing the violence and terror she saw living in Mississippi. President Lyndon B. Johnson held an impromptu press conference to interrupt Hamer's televised testimony. The MFDP was offered a compromise in which Mississippi's regular Democrats would be seated, but the MFDP would get two at-large delegates. The MFDP rejected the compromise and returned home.

Although the MFDP failed to get seated, their actions led to the state Democratic Party's first integrated delegation in 1968, and the election of Mississippi's first Black state representative since Reconstruction. As a result of the efforts of the MFDP, the states in the South and across the nation sent more diverse delegations to future conventions, forever changing the face of politics in America.

Here is the list of various presenters at yesterday’s event.

Master of Ceremonies, Larry Sieg, President & Chief Executive Officer, Visit Atlantic City.

The Honorable Tate Reeves, Governor, State of Mississippi.

The Honorable Tahesha L. Way, Lt. Governor, State of New Jersey.

Marty Small, Mayor, City of Atlantic City.

Assemblyman Don Guardian, General Assembly of the State of New Jersey.

Councilman Kaleem Shabazz, 3rd Ward, City of Atlantic City & President, NAACP Atlantic City.

Remarks by Euvestor Simpson, Member of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP) Member of the Council of Federated Organizations (COFO) Member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC).

Dr. Roy DeBerry, Member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) Director, Hill Country Project, Mississippi Freedom Trail Task Force.

Dave Dennis, Sr., Member of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP), Southern Regional Director, Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), Program Director, Council of Federated Organizations (COFO).

Unveiling by:

John Spann, Mississippi Humanities Council, Program & Outreach Director.

SOURCE: Visit Atlantic City.

Directly below, are some great local photo galleries: