Series 1: Correspondence, 1964. Z/2312.000/S
This series contains five letters sent by Foner to his family while he was working in Canton and Philadelphia during Freedom Summer. The letters discuss the work he was doing and give an overview of the conditions volunteers faced while working on the project. Much of the detail of the letters focuses on the violence, threats, and intimidation directed toward volunteers and local African Americans by police and local white communities. Foner repeatedly expresses his frustration with the lack of federal law enforcement presence for both security and voting rights enforcement. An edited version of one of the letters, written from the roof of COFO's Philadelphia headquarters on October 4, 1964, was published in the book Letters from Mississippi, a compilation of letters written by Freedom Summer volunteers.
Read MoreThis series contains five letters sent by Foner to his family while he was working in Canton and Philadelphia during Freedom Summer. The letters discuss the work he was doing and give an overview of the conditions volunteers faced while working on the project. Much of the detail of the letters focuses on the violence, threats, and intimidation directed toward volunteers and local African Americans by police and local white communities. Foner repeatedly expresses his frustration with the lack of federal law enforcement presence for both security and voting rights enforcement. An edited version of one of the letters, written from the roof of COFO's Philadelphia headquarters on October 4, 1964, was published in the book Letters from Mississippi, a compilation of letters written by Freedom Summer volunteers.
