Gov. Winter, UM Winter Institute Lend Support To 50th Anniversary Wade-In Commemoration

Written by Edwin Smith

05/05/2009

Events on Gulf Coast May 15-17 feature Gov. Winter in keynote address OXFORD, Miss. - Former Gov. William Winter and the Winter Institute for Racial Reconciliation at the University of Mississippi are major supporters of a 50th anniversary commemoration scheduled May 15-17 of the "wade-in" civil rights protests staged on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Programs throughout the weekend are to be held at the Jefferson Davis Campus of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College in Gulfport and the Biloxi Beach at the Lighthouse. All events are open to the public. Many historians agree that the civil rights struggle in Mississippi began with the 1959 wade-in. In open and conscious defiance of segregation laws, Dr. Gilbert R. Mason Sr. led nine black Biloxians onto a restricted spot along the 26-mile beach. A year later, more wade-ins on beaches reserved for whites set off a violent riot and led the U.S. Justice Department to initiate the first federal court challenge of Mississippi's segregation laws and practices. Simultaneously, Mason and local activists began their work on the state's first school desegregation suit. "The Winter Institute facilitated the early meetings of the Wade-In Commemoration Committee," said Susan Glisson, Winter Institute director. Glisson, who wrote the Mississippi Humanities Council grant that is being used to help pay speakers' fees, said she thinks it is important for Mississippians to confront their racial past. "Young people who do not confront our racial history are a bit like Rip van Winkle awakening after a 20-year slumber and not understanding the world before them," she said. The commemoration concludes Sunday with a picnic, followed by an ecumenical service on Biloxi Beach at the Lighthouse. Winter is to deliver the keynote address. Rain location for Sunday's events is the Biloxi Community Center. On Friday, LeRoy Carney and the Rev. James Black (participants in the 1960 wade-in) will each reminisce about participating in the 1960 wade-in. The program will conclude with interviews of historian-author Lerone Bennett Jr. and James Patterson Smith, history professor at the University of Southern Mississippi and Mason's biographer. Bennett and Mason grew up together in Jackson. "Dr. Mason was politically very active and gave the full measure to make his community a better place," Smith said. "Remembering these events helps all of us appreciate what it is to have the full array of human aspirations for the freedom to develop ourselves to the fullest extent possible." Saturday's activities include a panel discussion on desegregation featuring panelists who were students from 1964 to 1974 and on 'resegregation' by panelists who are contemporary students. Discussion participants also include Charles Bolton, professor of history at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro; and Mary Coleman, political science professor and associate dean at Jackson State University. "Remembering the sacrifices that have been made to build the nation and improve Mississippi is necessary and useful to every generation, for each generation will be called upon to sacrifice to build a better future," said Dr. Gilbert Mason Jr., a physician, son of the civil rights leader and originator of the commemoration program. "When we study the sacrifices of others, we gain inspiration, comfort and courage to sustain the efforts that the world places before us." "Unless white kids study the racial history of the state, they may have no idea why there might be such a thing as black anger," said Cono Caranna, district attorney for Harrison, Hancock and Stone counties and member of the program committee. "On the other hand, unless black kids study the same racial history they may not appreciate what tremendous and inspiring steps forward we have taken in Mississippi and the nation, nor appreciate the commitment and sacrifice that have made a difference for them in a comparatively short time." For a complete schedule and more information on the anniversary program, visit http://www.winterinstitute.org/documents/wade-in09.htm or call 662-915-6734. For assistance related to a disability, call 662-915-6734.

 

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