Mississippi

Revisiting Mississippi – 60 years after the Klan murder of Civil Rights workers

Published

2 years ago

May 25, 2024

Revisiting Mississippi – 60 years after the Klan murder of Civil Rights workers

In 1964 I quit my job as cub reporter for the Detroit News and left for Mississippi to cover Freedom Summer, headed by courageous youth of the Civil Rights movement and the approximately 1,000 volunteers who followed them there.

One of my first nights in Mississippi was at the home of a Black farmer who owned his own land. Near the front door was a small arsenal of shotguns and rifles to protect against possible trouble from night riders.

In 2024, I returned to the scene of the Ku Klux Klan killings of Mississippi organizer James Chaney and volunteers Michael Schwerner and Andrew Goodman, both New Yorkers, in Philadelphia, Mississippi, on June 21, 1964 — a crime that shocked the country, followed by the passing of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights Act of 1965,

This spring I spoke for three hours with Black community leader Leroy Clemons, who has organized the Neshoba County Youth Coalition, comprised of Black, white and Choctaw members, to fight for reconciliation and civil rights in Mississippi. He filled me in on some changes that have taken place since 1964, when most Philadelphia law officers were Klan members: “Back then no one wanted to talk about the killings, or the frequent burnings of Black and Native churches.” Today the town has a Black majority, Black police: and a Black mayor.

Back in the summer of ’64, despite widespread speculation that the three Civil Rights workers had been victims of the Klan, no bodies had turned up. So on July 17, Civil Rights volunteer Ruth Schein and myself showed up at the Philadelphia public library to learn more about Sheriff Lawrence Rainey and Deputy Sheriff Cecil Price, both reputed to be Klan members.

After a few hours of research, I left the library to get my car, but was accosted by a mob of five men who were suspicious of out-of-town reporters and started hitting me on the head and face with chains. After a while Deputy Price showed up, and in the confusion I was able to escape, retrieve my car, pick up Ruth from the library and leave town.

On Aug. 4, the bodies of the three Civil Rights workers were found buried in an earthen dam. Later, 18 men stood trial for the murders, most of them Klansmen. Deputy Price and seven others were convicted of violating the civil rights of the victims by killing them. Each served a term in prison of several years.

In 2004, Klan leader Edgar Killen was convicted of planning the killings and served a longer sentence, dying in prison.

In 1980, when Ronald Reagan was running for President, he stopped at the annual Neshoba County Fair to give a speech on “state’s rights,” in what was widely regarded as a “wolf whistle,” to broadcast his sympathies with white supremacists who opposed the Civil Rights movement in 1964.

References: We Will Shoot Back: Armed resistance in the Mississippi Freedom Movement, by Akinyele Umoja; The Summer that Didn’t End, by Len Holt; Witness in Philadelphia, by Florence Mars.

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Mississippi

Mississippi lawmakers face pressure to counter looming federal cuts to health care after punting this session

Published

7 hours ago

April 21, 2026

Press Room

Mississippi lawmakers face pressure to counter looming federal cuts to health care after punting this session

State lawmakers face a daunting task to blunt the effects of looming federal cuts that threaten to erode health care affordability and access in the years ahead, especially after they failed to address some of the most pressing issues during Mississippi’s 2026 legislative session, experts warn.

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Mississippi

Wicker: Mississippi powered Artemis II – Picayune Item

Published

19 hours ago

April 21, 2026

Press Room

Wicker: Mississippi powered Artemis II

Published 4:00 pm Monday, April 20, 2026

For nine days this month, space travel captivated the world. Families gathered around their screens as four astronauts strapped into the Integrity spacecraft docked at the Kennedy Space Center. As the launch countdown ended, four Mississippi-tested RS-45 engines ignited, and the ground shook. Seven seconds later, the Integrity had liftoff. For six intense minutes, the RS-45 engines rocketed the crew into high Earth orbit, sending them on their historic lunar flyby mission.

Mississippi should take a bow. The four RS-45 engines were tested at our very own Stennis Space Center, where Mississippians have been ensuring the quality of rocket engines since the Apollo program. For eight years, engineers, safety managers, and logistics specialists from the state have tested the engines that powered the Integrity and will power future Artemis launches. Their work paid off, and the launch was a marvel of engineering. NASA leadership made special mention of the rocket engine burn, calling it “flawless.”

One Mississippian in particular helped make the mission a success. Hernando native Matthew Ramsey handled a great deal of responsibility as the mission manager for Artemis II. The Mississippi State University graduate helped set the focus for the mission and equip the astronauts and staff for the job. Matthew also served as the deputy of the Mission Management Team, the group of NASA staff that comes together just days before a launch. The team assumes the risks of the mission ahead, and they make tough calls during flight if challenges arise.

As the Artemis II journey progressed, the world could not stop watching. Our social media feeds were full of photos and videos beamed down from the heavens. They captured humorous situations, such as the astronauts adjusting to life without gravity or testing their plumbing skills.

We also witnessed moments of majesty. On the fifth day, the Integrity began using the Moon’s gravity to slingshot our astronauts back home. That trajectory led the crew around the Moon, farther from Earth than any humans have ever gone. As the explorers looked upon outer space, they captured stunning images. Among the most remarkable is Earthset, in which Commander Reid Wiseman photographed Earth as it appeared to fall below the horizon of the moon.

When their spacecraft returned to Earth’s atmosphere, the crew was traveling nearly 35 times faster than the speed of sound. Ten minutes later, a series of parachutes began opening. Eventually, the spacecraft’s speed fell to 20 miles per hour, and the crew splashed down into the Pacific Ocean.

Mississippi was once again there to assist. The astronauts were greeted by the USS John P. Murtha, a U.S. military vessel built in the Huntington Ingalls shipyard in Pascagoula. The ship’s amphibious design was suited to welcome the space travelers home—equipped with a helicopter pad, medical facilities, and the communications system needed to locate and recover the astronauts safely. Crucially, the USS Murtha was built with a well deck, a sea-based garage that stored the Integrity on the journey to shore.

Artemis II was a resounding success, paving the way for planned future flights. When the Artemis program returns humans to the moon, Mississippi will be there every step of the way.

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D1Baseball rankings: Mississippi State, Ole Miss, and Southern Miss surge after big weekends – SuperTalk Mississippi

Published

1 day ago

April 20, 2026

Press Room

D1Baseball rankings: Mississippi State, Ole Miss, and Southern Miss surge after big weekends – SuperTalk Mississippi

Mississippi State, Ole Miss, and Southern Miss have surged in the rankings after a big weekend on the diamond.

The Bulldogs (30-10, 10-8 SEC) jumped two spots to No. 15 in the latest poll from D1Baseball following a strong bounce back. Brian O’ Connor’s club, after having been on the wrong side of SEC sweeps in back-to-back series, earned a 10-rule win over Samford on Tuesday, then took care of business with a sweep at South Carolina.

Next up for Mississippi State is a midweek home matchup versus Memphis on Tuesday before LSU heads to Dudy Noble Field for Super Bulldog Weekend.

The Rebels (29-12, 10-8 SEC) took the biggest leap in the rankings, making an eight-spot jump to No. 17 despite not budging in the top 25 a week ago after sweeping LSU. Once Mike Bianco’s club took the first two games at Tennessee in the most recent series, D1Baseball co-owner Kendall Rogers made note that Ole Miss fans could expect to see their team catapult in his outlet’s poll. Come Monday, though the red and blue lost the series finale, D1Baseball stuck to its word.

“What a weekend so far for [Ole Miss baseball]. Cade Townsend carried a no hitter into the sixth in an 8-1 win over Tennessee to take the series,” Rogers wrote on X. “Rebs are on a heater. Safe to say they’ll be much higher than 25 on Monday.”

Next up for the red-hot Rebels is a home midweek outing versus Murray State, the team that knocked the Rebels out of the postseason last year, before No. 5 Georgia travels to Swayze Field for Double Decker weekend.

The Golden Eagles (28-12, 11-7 Sun Belt) made a four-spot jump to No. 18 after securing a much needed conference sweep to keep hopes of hosting an NCAA Tournament regional alive. Christian Ostrander’s club defended home turf over the weekend, taking all three games from a solid Texas State club.

Next up for the black and gold is a Tuesday midweek battle versus former conference foe Tulane, before making an hour and a half drive to South Alabama for the weekend.

The full top 25 can be found below: