Wednesdays in Mississippi facts for kids
Wednesdays in Mississippi was a special group during the Civil Rights Movement in the United States in the 1960s. Women from the North, who were from different races and religions, traveled to Mississippi. Their goal was to connect with women in the South. They wanted to build understanding between people from different parts of the country, different races, and different social classes. By opening up talks across these groups, the "Wednesday's Women" hoped to stop violence and help with racial integration, which meant bringing people of all races together.
How it Started
In the spring of 1964, Dorothy Height, who was the President of the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW), had an idea. She worked with a volunteer named Polly Spiegel Cowan from the NCNW. They thought of sending groups of women from the North to Mississippi every week.
These groups included women of different races (interracial) and different religions (interfaith). They would leave for Mississippi on a Tuesday and come back on a Thursday. They spent all day Wednesday there, which is why the program was called "Wednesdays in Mississippi." These women were skilled and educated. They also worked with other important projects like Freedom Summer and the Freedom Schools.
Later in 1964, Dorothy Height and Polly Cowan asked Doris Wilson and Susie Goodwillie to help lead the project. They managed the work from Jackson, Mississippi.
The Black women from the North visited with Black women in the South. The white women from the North reached out to white women in the South. The women who came from the North returned home feeling even more dedicated to fairness for all people. In 1965, they came back again. This time, they worked more like professionals, with teachers talking to teachers and social workers talking to social workers.
In 1966, "Wednesdays in Mississippi" changed its name to "Workshops in Mississippi." It became a continuing effort to help Black families and poor white families. The goal was to help them improve their financial situations.
In 2020, the National Trust for Historic Preservation recognized the Sun'n'Sands Motel in Jackson. They named it one of America's most endangered historic places. This was because of its important link to the "Wednesdays in Mississippi" movement.
What They Wanted to Achieve
The women involved in "Wednesdays in Mississippi" had several important goals:
- They wanted to achieve fairness for all races.
- They aimed to improve communication between people of different races, regions, and religions.
- They worked to break down barriers between racial and religious groups. This helped to open up the very closed society of Mississippi.
- They supported the Freedom Schools and efforts to help people register to vote.
- They helped poor women in Mississippi learn how to support themselves. They taught them how to become financially independent. This was important because the cotton farming economy had failed for many poor workers. There was no new way for them to earn money yet.
- They also wanted to broaden the views and dedication of the women who came from the North.
Where Records Are Kept
Old records about "Wednesdays in Mississippi" are kept in two places. You can find them at the Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library at the University of Virginia. They are also at the National Archives for Black Women's History.
