Miss. University Conference Focuses on Civil Rights History

Miss. University Conference Focuses on Civil Rights History: HATTIESBURG, Miss. – From a Ku Klux Klan firebomb attack on a Black storeowner to frequent marches on Main Street by Blacks pushing for voting rights, the city of Hattiesburg was a pivotal scene of racial unrest in the 1950s and 1960s.

A University of Southern Mississippi conference late last week highlighted the role of key activists and local foot soldiers who helped change the racial landscape of the South during the civil rights movement.

The academic conference, which began Thursday and concluded Saturday, included panel discussions by many veteran activists, including Lawrence Guyot, Marilyn Lowen, and Martha Noonan, members of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.