Date: 1965.
Size: 0.17 cubic ft.

Biography/History:
 
The Civil Rights Movement in Hattiesburg

The Civil Rights Movement in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, began in March 1962 with the arrival – upon the request of Vernon Dahmer – of Hollis Watkins and Curtis Hayes. Both men were members of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and traveled to Hattiesburg from Pike County, Mississippi, to develop a voter registration campaign. Through the efforts of the Council of Federated Organizations (COFO), which included the SNCC; the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP); and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP); the Freedom Summer voter registration initiative was launched statewide in 1964. Subsequently, Hattiesburg served as headquarters for both COFO and MFDP.

The Delta Ministry

Prior to the development of the Delta Ministry, the United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. (UPCUSA) Commission on Religion and Race developed the Hattiesburg Ministers’ Project under the leadership of Robert J. Stone. In Divine Agitators, Mark Newman explains that the UPCUSA sent fifty-two clergymen to assist with the Freedom Day effort held on January 22, 1964 in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, to picket at the courthouse in response to Theron Lynd’s discrimination towards African American voter applicants.

Newman notes that the Hattiesburg Ministers’ Project came under the sponsorship of the National Council of Churches (NCC) in May 1964, and was expected to last through August. Bob Beech and John E. Cameron were appointed as co-directors of the Minister’s Project. A New York based organization, Newman notes that the NCC consisted of a membership comprising America’s mainstream interdenominational religious organizations. In addition, Newman maintains that the goal of the NCC was to aid the struggle in Mississippi at the recommendation and in cooperation with the civil rights leaders in the Delta. Bob Beech was a white Presbyterian minister who was persuaded to go to Hattiesburg under the Ministers’ Project since it was believed that the presence of white clergymen assisted in the reduction of violence towards demonstrators. Initially, Beech assisted with COFO’s registration efforts in Greenwood, Mississippi, wherein he was arrested within hours upon arriving. Subsequently, Beech extended his stay, arriving in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, on May 19, 1964 to assist the Ministers’ Project. Mark Newman explains that the Delta Ministry was developed by the NCC but was met with disapproval from its inception. The NCC’s Mississippi membership, led by John M. Allin, threatened to withhold funding to the NCC as a result of this project. Despite this resistance, the Delta Ministry was formally organized on September 1, 1964. Moreover, Newman contends that the Delta Ministry’s sphere encompassed both the Delta and Hattiesburg. In addition, Newman described the Delta Ministry’s goals as advocating for relief, literacy, voter registration, economic development and community mobilization throughout both regions.

Edwin and Catherine Meyer

According to Edwin Meyer’s stepdaughter, Sara Normand, Edwin and Catherine “Tink” Meyer came to Hattiesburg, Mississippi, during the summer of 1965 after having experienced the loss of their home and two children – Peggy and Billy – in a house fire on January 17, 1965. After reestablishing themselves, the Meyers expressed a desire to reimburse their community – especially the church – which provided assistance to them during their time of need. After hearing about Rev. Bob Beech and his efforts in both the Delta and Hattiesburg, Mississippi, the Meyers traveled from New York to Mississippi. Edwin and Catherine arrived in Hattiesburg on July 4, 1965.

After their work in Mississippi, the couple relocated to New Haven, Connecticut in the fall of 1965 so that Edwin could pursue his studies in set and lighting design at Yale University. The couple eventually opened Stage Lighting Rental Service. Sara Normand notes that Catherine “Tink” Meyer died in 1984. Edwin C. Meyer remarried Beryl Normand. The couple were married for twenty-nine years until Beryl’s death in 2010. Edwin Meyer died on March 2, 2014.

 

Scope and Content Note:

Primarily written by Catherine Meyer, this collection consists of a photocopy typescript journal. The Edwin and Catherine Meyer civil rights journal documents the couple’s experiences with the Delta Ministry from July 4 through August 28, 1965. Their journal depicts the campaigns initiated by the Delta Ministry in relationship to the desegregation of the University of Southern Mississippi and William Carey College; voter registration; and advocacy for early childhood education. The Meyer journal is of interest because it provides a first person account of the Civil Rights Movement in Hattiesburg, Mississippi from an outsider’s perspective.

 

Series Identification:

Series 1: Journal, 1965.

 

Box List:

Box 1, folder 1: Meyer (Edwin and Catherine) Civil Rights Journal, 1965