M359 Hazelton (Margaret J.) Freedom Summer Collection

From the Hazelton (Margaret J.) Freedom Summer Collection; One black-and-white photograph, taken by Rev. Frazer Thomason, of Rev. Rayford's son at a church community meeting in Clarksdale, Mississippi. According to a handwritten note on the back of the photograph, Margie [Hazelton], Mat [Zwerling] and the man in the photograph, whose first name is unknown, were involved in a very scary incident.

From the Hazelton (Margaret J.) Freedom Summer Collection; One black-and-white photograph, taken by Rev. Frazer Thomason, of two unidentified African American males on a break from chopping cotton in Clarksdale, Mississippi.

From the Hazelton (Margaret J.) Freedom Summer Collection; One black-and-white photograph, taken by Rev. Frazer Thomason, of, from left to right, an unidentified man, a police officer (possibly Ben Collins) and Dr. Aaron Henry in Clarksdale, Mississippi.

From the Hazelton (Margaret J.) Freedom Summer Collection; Four-page typewritten document entitled "We must be allies...race has led us both to poverty" written by Bruce Maxwell. The document refers to the White Folks Project (WFP), an organized effort to help register poor whites to vote and to educate them on racial and social inequalities in the South. Maxwell describes the significance of the program, the Biloxi WFP, and the need for more programs in Mississippi.

From the Hazelton (Margaret J.) Freedom Summer Collection; One black-and-white photograph, taken by Rev. Frazer Thomason, of Rev. Rayford in Clarksdale, Mississippi.

From the Hazelton (Margaret J.) Freedom Summer Collection; One black-and-white photograph taken of six Freedom Summer workers in a church in Clarksdale, Mississippi. From left to right: Rev. Rayford's son [first name unknown], an unidentified woman, C.T. Vivian (?), Noelle Michael Henry, Ms. Piggee [first name unknown] and Rev. Frazer Thomason.

From the Hazelton (Margaret J.) Freedom Summer Collection; One black-and-white photograph, taken by Rev. Frazer Thomason, of Margie (Margaret) Hazelton with several African-American youths at the community center in Clarksdale, Mississippi.

From the Hazelton (Margaret J.) Freedom Summer Collection; One black-and-white photograph, taken by Rev. Frazer Thomason, of three African Americans at "the 'table'" inside Dr. ("Doc") Aaron Henry's drugstore on 4th Street in Clarksdale, Mississippi. From left to right: Rayford [first name unknown], an unidentified female and Noelle Michael Henry, wife of Dr. Aaron Henry.

From the Hazelton (Margaret J.) Freedom Summer Collection; Black-and-white photograph, taken by Rev. Frazer Thomason, of Dr. Aaron Henry's pharmacy in Clarksdale, Mississippi. Dr. Aaron Henry was a prominent African-American civil rights activist in the 1960s. Involved in numerous civil rights organizations, he served as chairman of the Council of Federated Organizations (COFO) during Freedom Summer 1964. His drug store was considered a local "hangout" for COFO workers in Clarksdale.

From the Hazelton (Margaret J.) Freedom Summer Collection; One black-and-white photograph, taken by Rev. Frazer Thomason, of a local African-American youth standing behind benches draped with "freedom chains" at a carnival in Clarksdale, Mississippi.

From the Hazelton (Margaret J.) Freedom Summer Collection; One black-and-white photograph, taken by Rev. Frazer Thomason, of local teenagers at a social gathering in Dr. Aaron Henry's backyard in Clarksdale, Mississippi. A handwritten note on the back of the photograph mentions that, "she (Margie) loved the mimosa tree."

From the Hazelton (Margaret J.) Freedom Summer Collection; One black-and-white photograph, taken by Rev. Frazer Thomason, of a local African-American youth standing behind paper "freedom chains" draped from benches at a carnival in Clarksdale, Mississippi.

From the Hazelton (Margaret J.) Freedom Summer Collection; One black-and-white photograph, taken by Rev. Frazer Thomason, of a gathering in Dr. Aaron Henry's backyard in Clarksdale, Mississippi. Joe Youngerman and four local African-American teenagers are talking in the foreground. In the background, from left to right, are Lew Sitzer, Mat Zwerling and Margie Hazelton.

From the Hazelton (Margaret J.) Freedom Summer Collection; Two-page typewritten document titled Songs of the Southern Freedom Movement. Lyrics for eight songs reflect the political situation in the South with references to freedom riders, Ross Barnett, Hinds County and events in Birmingham, AL. Titles include We Shall Not Be Moved, This Little Light Of Mine, Keep Your Eyes On The Prize; Oh Freedom, We'll Never Turn Back, Woke Up This Morning, Which Side Are You On, and We Shall Overcome.

From the Hazelton (Margaret J.) Freedom Summer Collection; Typed poem entitled "The House of Liberty" written by Joyce Brown. Presumably, Brown was a Freedom School teacher in McComb, Mississippi, during Freedom Summer 1964. She describes the turbulent political atmosphere of the time, fears of both whites and African Americans, and her belief in working for equal rights.