MISSISSIPPI. 1966. On a hot June afternoon, a black man set out to walk across his home state of Mississippi. He walked to confront racial fears, discrimination, and hate. He walked to make a statement. But two days into his journey, James Meredith was shot and wounded in a roadside attack. Leaders of the civil rights movement, including Martin Luther King, Jr., and Stokely Carmichael, rushed to take up his cause. What started as one man's mission became the March Against Fear.
It was the first. Revolutionary change in the civil rights movement took shape during this march, and a proud rallying cry emerged: "Black Power."
It was the last. Never again would movement leaders rally together in such a great march for social change.
It was historic. Spanning several weeks and hundreds of miles, this was the longest march ever attempted through such hostile territory, and no one know if it would succeed.
It was nearly forgotten. By many measures the March Against Fear should be considered one of the greatest protests of the civil rights era, but it received little attention. Critically acclaimed author Ann Bausum sheds light on this lesser know, yet crucial turning point in our nation's past.
