Mid-June will mark the 50th anniversary of the 1964 murder of three civil rights workers in Mississippi; Bill Cohen invites you to a unique free program that will recall that event and several others in the movement between 1960 and 1965. It was an era when blacks and whites marched together, were beaten together, were jailed together, and sometimes died together.

On June 19th, we’ll celebrate the bravery of those protesters by viewing vintage film footage of the civil rights movement’s triumphs and tragedies. Among them: the 1960 lunch counter sit-ins, the 1961 freedom rides, the 1963 Birmingham church bombing and the March on Washington, the 1964 murders of the civil rights workers, and the 1965 march from Selma to Montgomery.

Also, soulful singer Paisha Thomas and Bill will sing about a dozen of the songs that the non-violent and unarmed protesters sang to embolden and energize themselves before facing the violence of racist mobs, high-pressure fire hoses, and police dogs.

Civil rights leaders like Martin Luther King and Medgar Evers are well-known for their activism and for being assassinated by racists, but dozens of others who were also struck down remain virtually unknown. We’ll take some time during this program to read their names and recall their memory.

In the early 1960’s, Jews made up only about 3% of the U.S. population but they played a far greater role in the civil rights movement. During this program, we’ll recall several examples of that.

This program is co-sponsored by Tifereth Israel and the Columbus Jewish Federation. Admission is free.

Contact: Bill Cohen, (614) 263-3851 or <billcohen@columbus.rr.com>