Relatives of Slain Freedom Summer Activists Celebrate Scott Colom’s Historic Senate Win in Mississippi

AMY GOODMAN: We go now to Meridian, Mississippi, where we’re signed up with by Angela Lewis, the child of civil liberties activist James Chaney. She was born simply 10 days before he was eliminated by the Ku Klux Klan together with Mickey Schwerner and Andrew Goodman. The date, June 21st, 1964. They were eliminated by regional white supremacists in Mississippi and buried in an earthen dam, not discovered up until 44 days later on. The 3 had actually taken a trip to Mississippi as part of the Freedom Summer project to sign up Black citizens.

Angela Lewis, thanks a lot for being with us. I’m questioning your ideas today. And as you viewed Scott Colom last night accept the vote as the next Democratic senator from Mississippi, the very first time a Black senator will represent Mississippi because Reconstruction, your ideas?

ANGELA LEWIS: Excellent early morning, and thank you for having me today.

I would like to state congratulations to Mr. Scott Colom, his household, and to all of those freshly chosen authorities. I’m extremely delighted, and I simply believe that this is a day of event, not just for Mississippi and for those that won, however I think that the forefathers are happy which the work that has actually been done to get us to this point, it has actually settled, and it’s settling today.

NERMEEN SHAIKH: Angela Lewis, if you could talk about some of that work? Leon Russell, the chairman of the NAACP board, stated, “This is simply the work of especially the Black neighborhood. There was not a great deal of cash, however there was a great deal of arranging.” Angela?

ANGELA LEWIS: Yes, the infantryman, the boots on the ground, and those that were making the call and doing the work, those are individuals, the unrecognized heroes, that should have a great deal of credit for the wins.

NERMEEN SHAIKH: And Mississippi, as we pointed out previously, has actually chosen a Republican governmental prospect in every election because the 1980s, and simply in 2024, 2 years back, Trump won the state by 23 points. What do you believe accounts for this shift?

ANGELA LEWIS: I believe it’s the commitment of individuals that remain confident and think that modification is possible. And I think that that’s what we have actually seen in these current elections and a great deal of the turns and turnovers that we’re seeing. It’s simply committed individuals, instructors and individuals in the neighborhood that’s going out and signing up and getting details out.

AMY GOODMAN: I likewise wished to get your reaction to the county that’s called after the very first Ku Klux Klan grand wizard, Nathan Bedford Forrest, Forrest County. Colom won. He likewise won the county called after Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederacy. Colom won with 70% of the vote. The significance of this?

ANGELA LEWIS: It’s extremely substantial. I simply think that individuals were not voting for a specific color, a specific celebration. I think that individuals were choosing aid. And they seemingly saw something in Mr. Colom that made them seem like that they might hope once again which he was the assistance that was required.

AMY GOODMAN: And I likewise wished to ask you about the vote that you took. You’re a psychiatric nurse. You’re speaking with us from work. You enacted Meridian, Mississippi. What did you do when you returned in your vehicle? What did you inform your kids?

ANGELA LEWIS: Well, in fact, on voting day, I had actually left from work, and I went to cast my vote. And I beinged in my cars and truck for a minute and hoped, and I thanked my father and all of those that worked to make it possible for me to even have the ability to cast my vote. And when I did cast my vote and I returned to my car, I simply needed to take a minute once again to recognize the significance of what might take place in this state and to once again simply be grateful for those that worked that we would have the chance and the benefit to even have the ability to cast a vote.

AMY GOODMAN: And I likewise wished to get your action– I suggest, you were pointed out by Scott Colom, your daddy, James Chaney. The popular desired FBI poster– or, it stated not “desired,” however “missing out on.” James Chaney, your papa, Andrew Goodman and Mickey Schwerner, Michael Schwerner, eliminated in 1964 when they ‘d gone to Mississippi as part of the Freedom Summer project to sign up Black citizens. They were very first detained, kept in a prison, appeared like there was police participation when they were followed and after that eliminated and buried in an earthen dam. You had actually simply been born. Your ideas about your dad defending African Americans to be able to vote, what he would be feeling this day, James Chaney?

ANGELA LEWIS: I believe that he would be, similar to the rest people here in Mississippi, extremely happy. And I simply think that the day after the Tuesday, after we voted, I think that next Wednesday, if not the exact same day, my papa would have gotten up and continued to work and to inform and to sign up individuals to vote.

AMY GOODMAN: Well, I wish to generate an individual you understand well, Angela Lewis, David Goodman. He is the sibling of Andrew Goodman, who likewise, together with your papa and Michael Schwerner, were eliminated in June. It took 44 days for their bodies to be discovered, collected in an earthen dam. The call to the White House– it was Lyndon Johnson, the president at the time– was taken by none besides the late, terrific reporter Bill Moyers, who was working for Johnson.

David Goodman, thanks a lot for being with us. I talked to you last night simply as Scott Colom will speak. Your ideas as you’re on this broadcast, as you’re on Democracy Now! with Angela Lewis today?

DAVID GOODMAN: Well, Amy, it’s– thank you for having us on the program. Hey there, Angela. It’s constantly great to be with you in the spirit world that we reside in.

My sensations are that we utilize words typically that– like a “blue wave.” If the Republicans won, it would have been a “red wave.” We’re utilizing the word “tsunami” now. This is not a tsunami. A tsunami is a damage for all. This is a spiritual change of mind, and it wasn’t simple and a very long time coming. And individuals of Mississippi have actually spoken, however individuals of the United States are benefiting, whether you’re a Republican or Democrat. And we need to stop and desist this divide-and-conquer company, since it’s not in our cumulative interest as the United States of America. And–

AMY GOODMAN: David–

DAVID GOODMAN: —choose Scott has actually taught us that.

AMY GOODMAN: David, you never ever stopped continuing your sibling’s work, Schwerner, Chaney and Goodman’s work, included with supporting citizen registration on colleges throughout the South. Is that?

DAVID GOODMAN: Yes.

NERMEEN SHAIKH: And, David, you referred recently to a spiritual change of mind. How do you believe this change of mind happened?

DAVID GOODMAN: You understand, we’re a huge nation. We’re the 3rd or 4th most populated nation worldwide, and among the greatest. There’s 340 countless us, so making a generalization is difficult. There’s a lot of discomfort in our nation. And I take a trip. I’ve remained in every state. I’ve resided in numerous states. I’m in contact with individuals all over our beautiful and gorgeous nation. We’re made complex folks. We’re not an uniform race or identity group. We’re varied. And we get suited these little boxes: You’re Christian, you’re Jewish, you’re Muslim, this, that and the other. And it’s simple for power-hungry, authoritarian individuals to come in and drive wedges in between us. And this has actually triggered enormous issues. And we got scammed by a scam artist who remains in the White House utilizing those wedges to make us combat with each other. And I believe the American individuals are ill and sick of it. I am.

And the vote, appearance, these were simply spectacular messages. And the authoritarian force, which is heard all over the world, is doubling down. We’re not– we can’t stop. We can’t state, “Oh, we won an election. Let’s rest and go on holiday.” It’s going to go on forever if we do not continually challenge authoritarian little group of individuals running things. Which’s not what occurred. I imply, I can’t make– you can’t make this story up. It’s simply sensational. You have an individual who’s the attorney general of the United States of among our biggest states, Texas, who was impeached by his own celebration and is running. The guv–

AMY GOODMAN: Of course, he lost. James Talarico beat him, and there was–

DAVID GOODMAN: He did.

AMY GOODMAN: — to state the least, a blue wave in Texas. David and Angela, we do need to go, however I wish to thank you both for being with us. David Goodman, the bro of Andrew Goodman. Angela Lewis, the child of James Chaney. Andrew Goodman, James Chaney and Mickey Schwerner were 3 civil liberties activists who went to Mississippi to sign up Black individuals to vote. They were eliminated June 21st, 1964, mentioned by Scott Colom last night in his success address at Tougaloo College, the traditionally Black college. Tomorrow, we’ll take a look at the tradition of Medgar Evers, likewise eliminated by the Klan, likewise mentioned by Scott Colom as the tradition on which he now will restore his state.

Turning up, David Sirota of The LeverStay with us.

AMY GOODMAN: “Nunca Más (Never Again)” by La Santa Cecilia in our Democracy Now! studio.