60th Anniversary of the Freedom Summer: Reflections on Interfaith Advocacy

The summer of 1964 was an incredibly important and impactful time in the United States. It came to be known as the “Freedom Summer,” as civil rights organizations focused attention and resources on registering voters in the southern states. Many individuals and organizations lent support to this effort, including the United Church of Christ. 

As we will recall from our history books, the effort to register voters in the South was met with horrific violence, including the burning of several churches and the murders of three civil rights activists (James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner) who were engaging in voter registration efforts with African Americans in Mississippi. While this was not the only act of hate-motivated violence, it was the story that dominated the headlines throughout the nation, helping open the eyes of those in the northern U.S. of the daily realities for people of African descent in the South. 

The United Church of Christ, working with the National Council of Churches, responded by sending representatives south to work in and with these communities. Engaging in voter registration drives, as well as participating in and conducting trainings on non-violent protest, representatives of the UCC were leaders in this work. Their work was motivated by the belief that the right to vote is among the most basic human rights, as it signifies the right to self-determination and represents the voice that each citizen is intended to have in the public discourse in our nation. As demonstrated by the broad coalition of faith-based organizations that engaged in the Freedom Summer of 1964, the values that undergirded this work were shared by people of faith across many denominations and faith traditions. 

Today, as we experience efforts to curtail the right to vote for many in our nation, we are called upon to once again join with our sisters and brothers of faith and do what we can to ensure that this precious right is not denied. The right to vote today, as it was in 1964, embodies one invaluable expression of our right to speak into the public discourse of our time. Motivated by the same spirit that moved our faith ancestors 60 years ago, we must do what we can to ensure that this voice is not silenced. 

This summer of 2024, the National Council of Churches will recognize the fateful summer of 1964 with the NCC Freedom Summer 60^th Anniversary.  Following in the footsteps of those who participated those many years ago, the NCC is seeking volunteers to work in five “priority states” (Mississippi, Georgia, North Carolina, Michigan, and Florida) to ensure that all people have the freedom to exercise their right to vote without undue barriers. As we well know, with powers at work in our nation who seek to create obstacles for voters in these key states, our efforts are as important now as ever. 

The work of the National Council of Churches dovetails well with the UCC’s Our Faith, Our Vote campaign. This year, we ask the church to answer the call of 1 John 3:18 to “let us not love with words or speech, but in action and in truth,” by “voting with love.” To learn more about how to “vote with love,” we encourage you to explore the resources on the Our Faith Our Vote site.  

The UCC, as we did in 1964, holds the values of freedom of expression and self-determination as basic for all human beings. In this moment in our nation, it is vital that we demonstrate these values, motivated by our faith, to ensure that all voices are heard. 

Rev. Mark Pettis, 

Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations Minister, United Church of Christ