On Thursday, June 22, 2017, there will be a gathering of various civil rights leaders who got together many years ago to assist people in getting registered to vote. The gathering starts at 7:00 pm and will be held at Church of our Saviour.
In the summer of 1965, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference put together a community organization called SCOPE, which stood for Summer Community Organization and Political Education. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 spurred SCOPE. Thousands of volunteers turned out to help the project and some of those leaders will be on hand on June 22 to share their experiences with you.
Speakers will include Seabrook’s own John Reynolds, a Seabrook resident and author of the book The Fight for Freedom. Other speakers include Jo Freeman, who worked on voter registration in Newberry County, SC; Lanny Kaufer, who registered voters in rural Sussex County, VA; Richard Smiley, who worked on registration in Dawson, GA; and Barbara Williams Emerson, who worked on voter registration in a variety of Southern states, as well as Washington, D.C, and Chicago, IL.
All are invited to attend. There is no charge for admission.
-Barbara Burgess, Tidelines Writer