Jack Minnis facts for kids

Jack Minnis (1926-2005) was an American activist who played a big role in the Civil Rights Movement. He worked for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), a group that fought for equal rights for all people. Jack was in charge of finding important information, often about how money was spent or how laws were being ignored, to help the movement. Even though he was white, he stayed with SNCC for a long time, even when the group mostly had Black members. He helped train many important leaders like Stokely Carmichael and John Lewis.

Jack Minnis and the Civil Rights Movement

Jack Minnis first worked for the Southern Regional Council in 1962. His job was to check how well a project called the Voter Education Project was doing. This project helped people, especially Black citizens in the South, register to vote. After leaving that job, Minnis suggested that SNCC should start its own research team. He believed that having good information would help their fight for civil rights.

Leading SNCC's Research

Jack Minnis then led SNCC's research department from their office in Atlanta. He also traveled a lot across the South. He helped local groups with their efforts to register voters. By 1965, Minnis started a weekly newsletter. It was called Life in the Great Society with Lyndon. This newsletter shared information about President Lyndon B. Johnson's activities. It often included details that were not widely reported by news channels. These weekly reports were very important. They helped to make the SNCC, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and CORE staff more focused on radical change.

Watching Government Money

Minnis carefully watched how federal money was used. He noticed when government money went to big companies. For example, he pointed out when a person from a company like Merck was put on a board. This board would decide if Merck was responsible for false claims about its products. He also looked into projects by the United States Agency for International Development. He wondered if some of these projects were secretly linked to the CIA.

Fighting for Fair Laws

After the Civil Rights Act of 1964 became law, Minnis checked how well it was being followed. He found that the government's efforts to desegregate schools and hospitals were not very good. Desegregation means ending the separation of people based on race. He also found that many states still had laws that stopped Black people from being jurors. Jurors are citizens who help decide court cases.

Researching Opposition Groups

Minnis kept detailed files on the activities of the White Citizens Council. These groups supported segregation in the Southern states. He used public records like Moody's Manuals and Standard and Poor's Registry. He also used census data. This helped him connect important white citizens in the South to actions against civil rights and workers' rights. He organized his files so information could be found quickly. He shared this information with groups that supported SNCC's goals.

Helping People Vote and Run for Office

Minnis found a special rule in Alabama law. This rule allowed Black citizens in Lowndes County to form their own political party. This meant they could run for office without having to join the main two political parties. This was a big step for local political power.

Being Watched by the Government

Minnis's work and writings were watched by the Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission. This was a state-run group that supported segregation. It was led by the governor. This commission paid regular citizens to report "suspicious" activities. Minnis's travels in the South were tracked by state police. They would send his car license plate numbers to police in towns where he held workshops. These workshops taught people how to register to vote and how to run for office. The Sovereignty Commission's files on Minnis contain 88 different reports about him.

Minnis's Impact on Journalists

Jack Minnis had a big impact on journalists who reported on the Civil Rights Movement. He also influenced those who later wrote about it. Judy Richardson, who helped make the documentary Eyes on the Prize, often spoke about Minnis. She said he was an older, tough white man who was great at finding information. She mentioned that he could "get research from a turnip." He always found important information that was like "buried treasure." The way Minnis organized his materials also helped her. His detailed timeline of events was very helpful for journalists from the North. It helped them understand the full extent of the challenges faced by the movement.