Dennis Flannigan

COFO, 1964, 1965, Mississippi
Current Residence: Tacoma, WA
Email: dennis.flannigan@gmail.com

I entered Mississippi with other second week volunteers--we learned of the missing three civil rights workers as we completed our training in Ohio. I arrived with Look magazine reporter, Christopher Wren (sic?), and a Look photographer. I forget his name, but I have seen his photos donated to an archive and the Freedom Summer is well represented in his work. The Look article appeared sometime in 1964, where I am pictured with other volunteers. Picture taken in Ms. Hamer's church.

I arrived in Ruleville, MS. Ms. Fannie Lou Hamer remained in Ohio doing training, but met her husband, "Pap," and their daughter who later died while they were taking her to Memphis for hospitalization. I moved from Ruleville to Shaw, MS, and was there into July, when I got impetigo and returned to Washington state. A few weeks later I left for the East coast, raised money for Freedom Summer efforts, and brought a car and supplies into Mississippi. This was August. I returned to Shaw, and worked into January, 1965, and returned to Tacoma, WA.

Many memories, and stories. The most significant was how it changed my life like college and a job never could have. I have attended two of the Indianola, MS reunions, but have not been there lately.

 


 
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