Aftermath
Author: Kylee Halter
Immediate results
Freedom Summer did not mark the end of the movement; rather, it fueled ongoing efforts for civil rights. The Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP)’s challenge at the 1964 Democratic National Convention was ultimately unsuccessful, but it had lasting significance. It was during this challenge that Fannie Lou Hamer delivered her iconic speech, exposing the extreme barriers Black Mississippians faced in their fight for the right to vote. Though the MFDP was not seated, their efforts inspired more Black citizens to assert their political rights.
Many volunteers remained engaged in civil rights activism after Freedom Summer, and that Summer was followed by other major events like the Selma to Montgomery marches in 1965. The movement’s momentum led to concrete changes, including a dramatic rise in Black voter registration in Mississippi—from just 5% in the 1950s to 66.5% by 1969. While the struggle for voting rights continued, Freedom Summer played a crucial role in transforming both national consciousness and political participation in the South.
The summer comes to an end, and the thought of packing a bag and going home feels surreal. How could you just go back to how things were after a summer like this?
You know in your heart that you want to keep fighting. As you pack your clothes to leave Mississippi, you reflect on all that you’d learned, all you’d seen, all you’d felt… and you make plans for the future, so you can get right back to work.
Concluding the Civil Rights Era
Freedom Summer was a part of the Civil Rights movement that lasted from 1954 to 1968. This movement, like Freedom Summer, sought to end disenfranchisement (deprivement of the right to vote), as well as legal segregation and other forms of discrimination in the United States.
This movement saw multiple victories in legislation, such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the Civil Rights Act of 1968. Additionally, the Civil Rights movement served as a blueprint for other movements. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, for example, fueled the women’s rights movement, and thus, NOW (the National Organization for Women) was founded in 1966.
The Mississippi Summer Project has come to an end, but the fight carries on. You hear news—in television, radio, newspaper, magazines, and the words of your peers—of continued progress across the country. You grieve the tragedy of Bloody Sunday, your heart going out to those peaceful marchers attacked by police. You cheer on fellow activists as the Selma to Montgomery march reaches your ears just two weeks later. You wake up one August morning to the news that the Voting Rights Act of 1965 has been signed, banning discriminatory practices in voting.
After the Voting Right Act of 1965, the years continue to pass filled with news: stories of tragedy and hope, violence and peace, suppression and progress. In 1966, you hear the term “Black Power”, originating from Stokely Carmichael during the Meredith March Against Fear in Mississippi. 1967 brings summer riots, nearly 160 across the United States. You hear others protesting cultural boundaries—drugs, authority, sexuality—and as for you, you stand with the Black Americans who are continuing to fight for their rights.
In 1968, the Civil Rights Act of 1968—also known as the Fair Housing Act— is signed, preventing discrimination in sale, rental, and financing matters in regards to housing. It’s a huge step in progress, but the fight isn’t done.
The Now
For the rest of your life, you are vigilant in matters of Civil Rights. You see another Civil Rights Act passed in 1991, addressing employment discrimination. Martin Luther King Jr. day is now a holiday. Into the 21st century, change is still happening: you live to see the first Black president. You participate in the “Black Lives Matter” movement, and are awed by the widespread participation across the United States. You can see so much fight—new technology, like phones and computers, connects you to movements around the globe.
It’s huge and it’s incredible, but the fight is not over.
Although the Civil Rights movement made great progress, it was not able to fix everything. Racism is still a rampant issue in the United States, and it’s not the only Civil Rights issue warranting change.
Freedom Summer showed that college kids are capable of making a difference. Now, less than a century later, the same power is in our hands. Where once stood the Western College for Women is now the campus of Miami University, whose Oxford campus hosts over 15,000 students a year—the same age as those students who were trained on the same soil less than a century ago.
You are capable of doing great things.
Civil rights are still important, and the fight for them is best done in community. There are many groups who fight for these causes, and the space for many more to be created.
Be the change. Find your community. Make a difference.
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