Newswise — Public school teachers converge in Philadelphia, Miss., June 22-24 for what is expected to be a landmark event aimed at providing firsthand perspectives on the 1960s civil rights movement.
The "Chaney, Goodman and Schwerner Living Memorial Civil Rights Education Summit" takes place in the Neshoba County town where the three civil rights workers, James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Mickey Schwerner, were found slain during Freedom Summer 41 years ago.
Organizers say the meeting, which is free to all teachers, aims to provide teachers with unique tools to teach their students about the civil rights movement, since many locations and unsung heroes in Mississippi played vital roles in the struggle. "The civil rights movement was the turning point for race relations in the United States," said Susan Glisson, director of the William Winter Institute for Racial Reconciliation at the University of Mississippi. "Grassroots activists, many of them young people, became empowered to dismantle segregation.
"It is fitting and indeed necessary for young people today to learn those lessons of empowerment and grassroots leadership. By better preparing teachers to share those lessons, we will equip the next generation to solve the crisis of race."
The event is sponsored by the Winter Institute; the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization; and the Philadelphia Coalition.
Teachers can preregister or register on-site the day of the summit, which takes place at Philadelphia High School, 248 Byrd Ave.
Organizers intentionally chose to hold the meeting in Philadelphia, the site of the infamous killings and other racial strife. However, more recently, the Philadelphia Coalition, a 30-member multiracial task force of local leaders, aided efforts which led to the state indicting its first suspect, Edgar Ray Killen, for the murders. Killen is to be tried beginning June 13.
Leroy Clemens, Philadelphia Coalition member and president of the Neshoba County NAACP, said he hopes the summit will inspire more dialogue around the state.
"I hope this summit will have a positive impact on the education process in Neshoba," Clemens said. "I hope they will be able to feel what the experience was like " to feel the movement for themselves " because when you feel it, it is easier to teach it."
Fellow coalition member Nettie Cox Moore echoed Clemens' goals for the summit, saying, "We want to bring these educators together. To do this summit will be beneficial for all and will be the foundation for a new history for Mississippi's students."
Deborah Owens, a Philadelphia educator and coalition member, envisions the summit as a pivotal event in Neshoba County's history, particularly in light of recent court proceedings.
"Educators need to be empowered to teach civil rights history," she said. "Teachers do not have to teach children and young adults what to think. They just need to teach history; truth is embedded in the history."
To learn more about the William Winter Institute for Racial Reconciliation, visit http://www.olemiss.edu/winterinstitute/
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