[Peace-discussion] Letter about Segregation From AL to Jackson, MS 1963 arrives Today-MS Gov again declines to accetpt
William & Lynn McLean
blueberrypeacefarm@gmail.com
Wed, 7 May 2008 01:07:14 -0500
------=_Part_30783_3200975.1210140434448
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=WINDOWS-1252
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Content-Disposition: inline
Civil Rights Letter Arrives In Miss. After 45 Years POSTED: 3:51 pm CDT May
6, 2008
UPDATED: 4:19 pm CDT May 6, 2008
*JACKSON, Miss. -- *It took 45 years, but a civil rights letter denouncing
segregation finally arrived in Mississippi Tuesday.
Bill Moore set out to hand deliver the letter to Gov. Ross Barnett in 1963
during a walk from Alabama to Mississippi. But, Moore was shot and killed
during that walk.
Volunteers who finished Moore's march called this *Freedom Walk
2K8*<http://friendlyatheist.com/2008/04/28/bill-moores-unfinished-journey/>=
.
They made a 320-mile journey from north Alabama to Jackson, but left
disappointed after they weren't able to hand deliver the letter to Gov. Hal=
ey
Barbour.
The group made it to Jackson a day earlier than expected and were told
Barbour's schedule would not allow him to meet with them to accept the
letter.
Ellen Johnson and Ken Loukinen started the walk on April 23, the same day
Moore was killed north of Birmingham. They recorded their walk and posted
the video on *YouTube* <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3D5uFZdaE9oMg>.
They arrived in Jackson Tuesday along with Bob Zellner, 65, who tried to
make the same walk in 1963. But Zellner and 11 others never made it because
they were beaten and jailed by the Alabama state troopers.
"It made a showcase of what we were trying to change in the South and we di=
d
change that mainly by people like Bill Moore, who stood up and fought for
the right thing," Zellner said.
Zellner and Johnson said that they plan to donate the letter to the new
Civil Rights Museum that will be built on the Tougaloo College Campus.
[image: Photo] <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3D5uFZdaE9oMg>(click on pic =
for
YOUTUBE)
Published Thursday, April 24, 2008
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
* Activists take walk to remember*
*By Lisa Rogers, Times Staff Writer*
[image: Picture]
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3D5uFZdaE9oMg> A group of walkers exit the
Keener community Wednesday on U.S. Highway 11 as they endeavor to finish th=
e
"freedom walk" on which Bill Moore was killed on April 23, 1963. Walkers
intend to give the letter Moore was carrying to a former Freedom Walker, wh=
o
will in turn deliver it to the current governor of Mississippi. (GADSDEN
TIMES | ERIC T. WRIGHT)
KEENER =97 It was 1963 when William Moore set out for Mississippi on a
one-man crusade for equal rights. With blisters on his feet, wearing a
hand-made sign, Moore's journey was cut short when he was shot while walkin=
g
on U.S. Highway 11 in Etowah County.
Moore had set out from Baltimore by bus for Chattanooga, Tenn. From there,
he began the walk to Mississippi to deliver a letter to then Gov. Ross
Barnett.
He still had about 300 miles to go to reach his destination when he was sho=
t
as he walked, pushing a cart and displaying his message, on April 23, 1963.
He had the letter with him.
Now, 45 years later, a group is hoping to complete Moore's journey and
deliver the letter.
Several people set out Wednesday from the site where Moore was killed,
headed to Jackson, Miss., to see that Moore's letter is delivered to the
current governor of Mississippi.
Ellen Johnson and Ken Loukinn will anchor the walk for the two weeks it is
expected to take to complete the route.
Johnson, from New Jersey, is president of American Atheists and was inspire=
d
when she first heard Moore's story a few years ago. "Bill Moore was an
atheist who died fighting for civil rights," she said.
Moore, a 35-year-old white letter carrier from Baltimore, wore a sign that
read "Equal Rights For All, Mississippi or Bust" on the back and "End
Segregation in America. Eat at Joe's =97 Both Black and White" on the front=
.
On the cart, he displayed a poster showing a sketch of
Christ. In letters above the sketch was the word "Wanted." Below was the
caption, "Jesus Christ =97 wanted for sedition, criminal anarchy, vagrancy =
and
conspiring to overthrow the established government."
It never was clearly established whether Moore was killed for his beliefs
about segregation or his religious beliefs. A DeKalb County grocery store
operator was arrested in the case, but a grand jury failed to indict him a
few months later. No others ever have been charged in Moore's death.
While Moore walked, he was questioned by two men about his political and
religious beliefs.
"One was sure I'd be killed for them," he wrote in his journal.
Johnson said Moore did not die in vain. Several others attempted to complet=
e
his walk in the months following his death, but they were arrested and thei=
r
walk cut short as well. However, the Civil Rights Act passed the following
year.
"The best tribute we can do is to see the walk completed," she said. "We sa=
y
thank you for the huge sacrifice.
"This will be easy compared to what they did," Johnson said as she and the
others prepared to begin about 10 a.m.
Johnson said she has been an avid walker for a long time and has prepared
intensely for the walk.
Loukinn is a firefighter from Florida and already was in shape for the walk=
.
They plan to walk 22 miles a day, stopping at night along the route.
Johnson said she and those in her group plan to deliver the letter in
Jackson, Miss., to Bob Zellner, one of the original Freedom Walkers who now
lives in Connecticut. He will deliver the letter to the governor's office.
The governor's office in Mississippi is aware of the intention to deliver
the letter, Johnson said.
*"The original letter is about peace, justice ...," Johnson said. "We are
paying tribute in a positive way. We don't want people to ever forget."*
***************************************************************
Love and Light, wm and lynn McLean
the Blueberry Peace Farm, Magee, Mississippi, USA, EARTH
http://blog.360.yahoo.com/dirtandsludge our "flog" (Farm Log)
http://members.aye.net/~hippie/real.htm
http://legitgov.org/
Citizens for Legitimate Government
[image: Photobucket]<http://s52.photobucket.com/albums/g35/cpeacesigns/?act=
ion=3Dview¤t=3DStPeterburgCollegeCampusGreens.jpg>
--
------=_Part_30783_3200975.1210140434448
Content-Type: text/html; charset=WINDOWS-1252
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Content-Disposition: inline
<h1 class=3D"Headline">Civil Rights Letter Arrives In Miss. After 45 Years<=
/h1>
<div>
<div class=3D"posted">POSTED: 3:51 pm CDT May 6, 2008</div>
<div class=3D"updated">UPDATED: 4:19 pm CDT May 6, 2008</div>
<div></div>
<div id=3D"storytools"></div>
<div class=3D"StoryBody"><b class=3D"Dateline">JACKSON, Miss. -- </b>It too=
k 45 years, but a <span class=3D"yshortcuts" id=3D"lw_1210139832_0" style=
=3D"CURSOR: hand; BORDER-BOTTOM: #0066cc 1px dashed">civil rights</span> le=
tter denouncing segregation finally arrived in <span class=3D"yshortcuts" i=
d=3D"lw_1210139832_1" style=3D"CURSOR: hand; BORDER-BOTTOM: #0066cc 1px das=
hed">Mississippi</span> Tuesday.=20
<div></div>Bill Moore set out to hand deliver the letter to Gov. Ross Barne=
tt in 1963 during a walk from <span class=3D"yshortcuts" id=3D"lw_121013983=
2_2" style=3D"CURSOR: hand; BORDER-BOTTOM: #0066cc 1px dashed">Alabama</spa=
n> to <span class=3D"yshortcuts" id=3D"lw_1210139832_3" style=3D"CURSOR: ha=
nd; BORDER-BOTTOM: #0066cc 1px dashed">Mississippi</span>. But, Moore was s=
hot and killed during that walk.=20
<div></div>Volunteers who finished Moore's march called this <a href=3D=
"http://friendlyatheist.com/2008/04/28/bill-moores-unfinished-journey/" tar=
get=3D"_blank" rel=3D"nofollow"><span class=3D"yshortcuts" id=3D"lw_1210139=
832_4"><font color=3D"#003399"><strong>Freedom Walk 2K8</strong></font></sp=
an></a>.=20
<div></div>They made a 320-mile journey from north Alabama to Jackson, but =
left disappointed after they weren't able to hand deliver the letter to=
Gov. <span class=3D"yshortcuts" id=3D"lw_1210139832_5" style=3D"CURSOR: ha=
nd; BORDER-BOTTOM: #0066cc 1px dashed">Haley Barbour</span>.=20
<div></div>The group made it to Jackson a day earlier than expected and wer=
e told Barbour's schedule would not allow him to meet with them to acce=
pt the letter.=20
<div></div>Ellen Johnson and Ken Loukinen started the walk on April 23, the=
same day Moore was killed north of <span class=3D"yshortcuts" id=3D"lw_121=
0139832_6" style=3D"CURSOR: hand; BORDER-BOTTOM: #0066cc 1px dashed">Birmin=
gham</span>. They recorded their walk and posted the video on <a href=3D"ht=
tp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3D5uFZdaE9oMg" target=3D"_blank" rel=3D"nofoll=
ow"><span class=3D"yshortcuts" id=3D"lw_1210139832_7"><font color=3D"#00339=
9"><strong>YouTube</strong></font></span></a>.=20
<div></div>They arrived in Jackson Tuesday along with Bob Zellner, 65, who =
tried to make the same walk in 1963. But Zellner and 11 others never made i=
t because they were beaten and jailed by the Alabama state troopers.=20
<div></div>"It made a showcase of what we were trying to change in the=
South and we did change that mainly by people like Bill Moore, who stood u=
p and fought for the right thing," Zellner said.=20
<div></div>Zellner and Johnson said that they plan to donate the letter to =
the new Civil Rights Museum that will be built on the Tougaloo College Camp=
us.</div>
<div class=3D"StoryBody"> </div>
<div class=3D"StoryBody"><a href=3D"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3D5uFZda=
E9oMg" target=3D"_blank" rel=3D"nofollow"><img alt=3D"Photo" src=3D"http://=
gtimg.ny.publicus.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=3DGT&Date=3D20080424&am=
p;Category=3DNEWS&ArtNo=3D837335816&Ref=3DAR&Profile=3D1016" wi=
dth=3D"300"></a>(click on pic for YOUTUBE)</div>
<div class=3D"StoryBody"> </div>
<div class=3D"StoryBody"><span class=3D"smital">Published Thursday, April 2=
4, 2008</span><br><span class=3D"medium"><span class=3D"small">Wednesday, A=
pril 23, 2008 </span><br><br><b>
<h2>Activists take walk to remember</h2></b><br><strong>By Lisa Rogers, Tim=
es Staff Writer</strong><br>
<table cellspacing=3D"0" cellpadding=3D"2" width=3D"210" align=3D"right" bo=
rder=3D"0">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td class=3D"text"><a href=3D"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3D5uFZdaE9oMg"=
target=3D"_blank" rel=3D"nofollow"><img alt=3D"Picture" src=3D"http://gtim=
g.ny.publicus.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=3DGT&Date=3D20080424&Ca=
tegory=3DNEWS&ArtNo=3D837335816&Ref=3DAR&MaxW=3D250" border=3D"=
0"><br clear=3D"all">
</a>
<div>A group of walkers exit the Keener community Wednesday on U.S. Highway=
11 as they endeavor to finish the "freedom walk" on which Bill Moore was k=
illed on April 23, 1963. Walkers intend to give the letter Moore was carryi=
ng to a former Freedom Walker, who will in turn deliver it to the current g=
overnor of Mississippi. (GADSDEN TIMES | ERIC T. WRIGHT)</div>
<table cellspacing=3D"0" cellpadding=3D"0" align=3D"right" border=3D"0">
<tbody>
<tr></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table>
<div>KEENER =97 It was 1963 when William Moore set out for <span class=3D"y=
shortcuts" id=3D"lw_1210139832_8" style=3D"CURSOR: hand; BORDER-BOTTOM: #00=
66cc 1px dashed">Mississippi</span> on a one-man crusade for equal rights. =
With blisters on his feet, wearing a hand-made sign, Moore's journey was cu=
t short when he was shot while walking on U.S. Highway 11 in Etowah County.=
<br>
Moore had set out from <span class=3D"yshortcuts" id=3D"lw_1210139832_9" st=
yle=3D"CURSOR: hand; BORDER-BOTTOM: #0066cc 1px dashed">Baltimore</span> by=
bus for <span class=3D"yshortcuts" id=3D"lw_1210139832_10" style=3D"CURSOR=
: hand; BORDER-BOTTOM: #0066cc 1px dashed">Chattanooga, Tenn</span>. From t=
here, he began the walk to <span class=3D"yshortcuts" id=3D"lw_1210139832_1=
1" style=3D"CURSOR: hand; BORDER-BOTTOM: #0066cc 1px dashed">Mississippi</s=
pan> to deliver a letter to then Gov. Ross Barnett.<br>
He still had about 300 miles to go to reach his destination when he was sho=
t as he walked, pushing a cart and displaying his message, on April 23, 196=
3. He had the letter with him.<br>Now, 45 years later, a group is hoping to=
complete Moore's journey and deliver the letter.<br>
Several people set out Wednesday from the site where Moore was killed, head=
ed to <span class=3D"yshortcuts" id=3D"lw_1210139832_12" style=3D"CURSOR: h=
and; BORDER-BOTTOM: #0066cc 1px dashed">Jackson, Miss</span>., to see that =
Moore's letter is delivered to the current governor of Mississippi.<br>
Ellen Johnson and Ken Loukinn will anchor the walk for the two weeks it is =
expected to take to complete the route.<br>Johnson, from <span class=3D"ysh=
ortcuts" id=3D"lw_1210139832_13" style=3D"CURSOR: hand; BORDER-BOTTOM: #006=
6cc 1px dashed">New Jersey</span>, is president of American Atheists and wa=
s inspired when she first heard Moore's story a few years ago. "Bill Moore =
was an atheist who died fighting for <span class=3D"yshortcuts" id=3D"lw_12=
10139832_14" style=3D"CURSOR: hand; BORDER-BOTTOM: #0066cc 1px dashed">civi=
l rights</span>," she said.<br>
Moore, a 35-year-old white letter carrier from <span class=3D"yshortcuts" i=
d=3D"lw_1210139832_15" style=3D"CURSOR: hand; BORDER-BOTTOM: #0066cc 1px da=
shed">Baltimore</span>, wore a sign that read "Equal Rights For All, <span =
class=3D"yshortcuts" id=3D"lw_1210139832_16" style=3D"CURSOR: hand; BORDER-=
BOTTOM: #0066cc 1px dashed">Mississippi</span> or Bust" on the back and "En=
d Segregation in America. Eat at Joe's =97 Both Black and White" on the fro=
nt.<br>
On the cart, he displayed a poster showing a sketch of<br><br>Christ. In le=
tters above the sketch was the word "Wanted." Below was the caption, "Jesus=
Christ =97 wanted for sedition, criminal anarchy, vagrancy and conspiring =
to overthrow the established government."<br>
It never was clearly established whether Moore was killed for his beliefs a=
bout segregation or his religious beliefs. A DeKalb County grocery store op=
erator was arrested in the case, but a grand jury failed to indict him a fe=
w months later. No others ever have been charged in Moore's death.<br>
While Moore walked, he was questioned by two men about his political and re=
ligious beliefs. <br>"One was sure I'd be killed for them," he wrote in his=
journal.<br>Johnson said Moore did not die in vain. Several others attempt=
ed to complete his walk in the months following his death, but they were ar=
rested and their walk cut short as well. However, the <span class=3D"yshort=
cuts" id=3D"lw_1210139832_17" style=3D"CURSOR: hand; BORDER-BOTTOM: #0066cc=
1px dashed">Civil Rights Act</span> passed the following year.<br>
"The best tribute we can do is to see the walk completed," she said. "We sa=
y thank you for the huge sacrifice.<br>"This will be easy compared to what =
they did," Johnson said as she and the others prepared to begin about 10 a.=
m.<br>
Johnson said she has been an avid walker for a long time and has prepared i=
ntensely for the walk.<br>Loukinn is a firefighter from <span class=3D"ysho=
rtcuts" id=3D"lw_1210139832_18" style=3D"CURSOR: hand; BORDER-BOTTOM: #0066=
cc 1px dashed">Florida</span> and already was in shape for the walk.<br>
They plan to walk 22 miles a day, stopping at night along the route.<br>Joh=
nson said she and those in her group plan to deliver the letter in Jackson,=
Miss., to Bob Zellner, one of the original Freedom Walkers who now lives i=
n <span class=3D"yshortcuts" id=3D"lw_1210139832_19" style=3D"CURSOR: hand;=
BORDER-BOTTOM: #0066cc 1px dashed">Connecticut</span>. He will deliver the=
letter to the governor's office.<br>
The governor's office in <span class=3D"yshortcuts" id=3D"lw_1210139832_20"=
style=3D"CURSOR: hand; BORDER-BOTTOM: #0066cc 1px dashed">Mississippi</spa=
n> is aware of the intention to deliver the letter, Johnson said.<br><stron=
g>"The original letter is about peace, justice ...," Johnson said. "We are =
paying tribute in a positive way. We don't want people to ever forget."</st=
rong></div>
<div> </div>
<div> </div>
<div>***************************************************************</div>
<div> </div>
<div> </div>
<div> </div>
<div> </div></span></div><br><br>
<div>Love and Light, wm and lynn McLean <br>the Blueberry Peace Farm, <span=
class=3D"yshortcuts" id=3D"lw_1210139832_21" style=3D"CURSOR: hand; BORDER=
-BOTTOM: #0066cc 1px dashed">Magee, Mississippi, USA</span>, EARTH <br><a h=
ref=3D"http://blog.360.yahoo.com/dirtandsludge" target=3D"_blank" rel=3D"no=
follow"><span class=3D"yshortcuts" id=3D"lw_1210139832_22"><font color=3D"#=
003399">http://blog.360.yahoo.com/dirtandsludge</font></span></a> our "=
;flog" (Farm Log) <br>
<a href=3D"http://members.aye.net/~hippie/real.htm" target=3D"_blank" rel=
=3D"nofollow"><span class=3D"yshortcuts" id=3D"lw_1210139832_23"><font colo=
r=3D"#003399">http://members.aye.net/~hippie/real.htm</font></span></a><br>=
<a href=3D"http://legitgov.org/" target=3D"_blank" rel=3D"nofollow"><span c=
lass=3D"yshortcuts" id=3D"lw_1210139832_24"><font color=3D"#003399">http://=
legitgov.org/</font></span></a></div>
<div>Citizens for Legitimate Government<br><a href=3D"http://s52.photobucke=
t.com/albums/g35/cpeacesigns/?action=3Dview&current=3DStPeterburgColleg=
eCampusGreens.jpg" target=3D"_blank" rel=3D"nofollow"><img alt=3D"Photobuck=
et" src=3D"http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g35/cpeacesigns/StPeterburgCol=
legeCampusGreens.jpg" border=3D"0"></a></div>
</div><br clear=3D"all"><br>-- <br>
------=_Part_30783_3200975.1210140434448--