Testimony Before the Democratic Reform Committee, Jackson, Mississippi, May 22, 1969

Abstract

Soon after the 1964 Democratic National Convention, an interracial coalition of Mississippi politicians including Pat Derian, Hodding Carter III, and Charles Evers came together to ensure that the 1968 challenge to seat an integrated delegation from their state would be successful. The group, known as the Loyal Democrats of Mississippi, realized their goal by strictly adhering to the national Democratic Party’s guidelines and by securing a broad base of support from local branches of the NAACP, the AFL-CIO, the Black Mississippi Teachers Association, and the Black Prince Hall Masons. Many original members of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party initially refused to join the Loyalist coalition, but eventually did in the face of dwindling resources and waning support. On May 22, 1969, Fannie Lou Hamer testified before the Democratic Reform Committee in Jackson, Mississippi. This chapter reproduces Hamer’s testimony, in which she expressed her disappointment with the Democratic Party while offering suggestions as to how it could improve.