FROM TH E CH AI RMAN
Chairman’s Corner
Honoring Mrs. A.M.E. Logan (1915-2011) By Dr. Bernard Lafayette Jr., SCLC Chairman
The pattern was pretty much “set in stone” that when a Freedom Rider was released from jail or prison in Jackson, Mississippi, he or she would be given a meal in a local restaurant and an airline ticket to go back home. Governor Ross Barnett expressed praise for the “Mississippi Negroes” for not getting involved in the civil rights movement—and laid the blame on “outside agitators.” When James Bevel and I were released from Parchman Penitentiary, we saw a need to stay and recruit some local people to participate. We consulted attorney Jack Young about staying, and he referred us to the District Attorney. The DA knew that Bevel was already home, being a native of the state of Mississippi, and I, as Bevel’s friend, chose to stay with him. With the help of Medgar Evers, we were able to set up an office across the street from his office and set about our work. Others from SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee) and CORE (Congress of Racial Equality) were also set up and ready to mobilize. I was fortunate enough to be able to stay at the home of Mrs. A.M.E. Logan on Biloxi Street. I was treated as a member of the family. She cooked wonderful food, which reminded me of my own grandmother’s cooking. Cornbread and collard greens and all the trimmings. I helped with chores around the house by sweeping up and cutting grass, etc. Bevel and I were arrested a second time for continuing to recruit and organize in Jackson. This time, we were convicted of Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor. As it turned out, some of our recruits were only 15 years old which was difficult to believe due to their size. Being in solitary confinement included sleeping on the concrete floor. When I returned to living in the comfort of Mrs. Logan’s home, I had to sleep on the floor until I could condition myself to rest in the luxury of a real bed! I sometimes stayed overnight in Medgar Evers’ office while he dressed in regular clothes and borrowed an old truck to drive. His mission was to rescue tenant farmers who owed the plantation owner so much money they could not leave. He put them up in town, then sent them north to begin a new life. The typical migration from Jackson was usually to Chicago or East St. Louis. I got to know Medgar Evers quite well through those experiences.
SCLC National Magazine/ King 2022 Issue
