MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The National Civil Rights Museum hosted a community symposium on the 60th anniversary of the 1964 Mississippi Freedom Summer project Saturday.
The events of that summer are being deemed as one of the last interracial civil rights efforts of the 1960's. This project was designed to put national attention to the violent oppression experienced by Mississippi Black residents who were trying to vote.
Civil rights activist and former Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee organizer (SNCC) Judy Richardson told ABC24 many in the present day take for granted their righting votes. She said that some people 60 years ago were killed for trying to register to vote.
"How do you get Black people to register to vote without getting them killed?" Richardson said. "That was the main concern."
Richardson said many people in their group put their lives on the line to see the opportunities Mississippi Black voters are reaping the benefits.
"You've got now more Black elected officials in the state of Mississippi than in any other state in the union," she said.
Rachelle Brown attended the symposium on Saturday. She said some of the stories she heard were painful to hear. Brown told ABC24 she believes her generation does take for granted how important voting is. She said it's time to do more now that her eyes are wide open.
"When I leave here, I'm going to go early vote because I feel like that's just my due diligence and a thank you to those people," Brown said.
Brown said she wants to thank people such as Richardson for their sacrifice. She said it's because of their effort that her mom and generations more had a better upbringing.
"If they weren't doing what they did, she wouldn't have been able to go to an integrated school and receive the level of education that she received," she said. "That encouraged me and my sister to pursue higher education and become a part of our community and create change that way."
Richardson said there's a misconception your vote does not count. She believes voters of all ages need to do their part. Richardson said elections impact everyone's daily lives.
"To see this is really going to affect whether I get expansion of Medicaid in my state. Am I gonna go to some place and not be able to afford the kidney transplant. It is every single day and your vote absolutely affects you when you walk out of your house," she said.
Early voting for Tennessee's primary election ended July 27. Election Day for the primary is on August 1.
