Winner of the 2016 Lillian Smith Book Award When Aaron Henry returned home to Mississippi from World War II service in 1946, he was part of wave of black servicemen who challenged the racial status quo. He became a pharmacist through the GI Bill, and as a prominent citizen, he organized a hometown chapter of the NAACP and relatively quickly became leader of the state chapter. From that launching pad he joined and helped lead an ensemble of activists who fundamentally challenged the system of segregation and the almost total exclusion of African Americans from the political structure. These efforts were most clearly evident in his leadership of the integrated Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party delegation, which, after an unsuccessful effort to unseat the lily-white Democratic delegation at the Democratic National Convention in 1964, won recognition from the national party in 1968. The man who the New York Times described as being “at the forefront of every significant boycott, sit-in, protest march, rally, voter registration drive and court case” eventually became a rare example of a social-movement leader who successfully moved into political office. Aaron Henry of Mississippi covers the life of this remarkable leader, from his humble beginnings in a sharecropping family to his election to the Mississippi house of representatives in 1979, all the while maintaining the social-change ideology that prompted him to improve his native state, and thereby the nation.

Chronicles the life of civil rights activist Aaron Henry.

Chronicles the life of civil rights activist Aaron Henry.

Relates history of his involvement with the Mississippi NAACP and his close friendships with state field secretary Medgar Evers and Evers's brother, Charles. Discusses his many arrests on trumped-up charges due to his civil rights activities. Recalls the work of Bob Moses and the Council of Federated Organizations (COFO) in bringing white college students to Mississippi during the Freedom Summer. Reflects on the circumstances leading to the murders of Goodman, Schwerner, and Chaney. Cites the reasons behind COFO's creation and demise after the NAACP pulled out of Mississippi due to the excessive expenses of mounting a civil rights offensive in that state. Describes his campaign for Mississippi governor as part of the Freedom Vote project of 1963 as more a bid to increase Black voter registration than a serious effort to unseat the incumbent politicians. Comments on the activities and role of his white running mate for lieutenant governor, Rev. Edwin King. Discusses national Democratic Party politics and the presidential campaign of 1964. Expounds on the idea of a biracial, integrated society. No tape available. Interviewer: Robert Wright.

Weaving national narratives from stories of the daily lives and familiar places of local residents, Francoise Hamlin chronicles the slow struggle for black freedom through the history of Clarksdale, Mississippi. Hamlin paints a full picture of the town ov

Aaron Henry, an officeholder in the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the chairman of the Mississippi Democratic Party, shares his thoughts and recollections on the intersection of race and politics in his home state. Despite racially motivated violence, Henry is determined to use his education and political skills to advance the interest of black Mississippians, a group under assault by racist white politicians committed to reversing the gains of the civil rights movement. This is a useful interview for researchers interested in the insidious role of race in 1970s Mississippi politics.