I am more than pleased by the formation of this group, and more than proud to be a part of it. The time that I spent in the Freedom Summer in 1964 (primarily in Gulfport and Biloxi) teaching and doing voter registration marks a high point for me in much that I did before and much that I have done since. I did attend the 1994 30th anniversary reunion, but was too busy being moved by it all to actually meet anyone in our (relatively small) group that I had worked with in Mississippi.
When I went back the following year for events at Selma, and subsequently worked a small amount in Eutaw, Alabama, it was with a sense of some progress, a great deal of love, and some possibly of harmony for not only those parts of our land, but for all. That struggle clearly continues in virtually all national and international arenas and I now pass those values, as best I can, to both my students and to my children. To do otherwise would not only be to forget the Movement, but to forget ourselves and our society.... or so I believe.
I very much look forward to the growth and prosperity of this effort, and thank those who have formed it. To whatever extent I may be of assistance, it would be an honor, just as it was 30+ years ago to take the voyage that came to be known as The Movement.
I wish my long-unseen colleagues from that time peace, joy, and a continuation of the values that took us where we went, took us where we are, and may take us where we need to be.
Stephen Blum
Copyright © 2002
Webspinner:
webspinner@crmvet.org
(Labor donated)