Registering to Vote
In 1959, John Estes, a civil rights activist and the attorney who represented the accused Burton Dodson, encouraged John McFerren et. al to start a voter registration campaign. McFerren and Jameson initiated a word-of-mouth campaign to appeal to African Americans to register to vote. As word of mouth grew, members of the African American community lined up, standing for hours, to register to vote at the Fayette County courthouse.
Going in to register to vote. Source: Sepia Magazine, Special Collections, 福利片国产 of Memphis Libraries.
When trying to register to vote, Black citizens were immediately met by obstacles and delaying tactics at the County Clerk's office and even at the polling precincts. The white community had forged those obstacles because they feared the potential upheaval in politics and government if a significant number of African Americans voted. At that time, African Americans comprised a majority of the population.
African Americans stood in line in the "dead heat" of summer heat for hours to register. While waiting in line, they were harassed at times by whites who spit or threw hot coffee or peppers on them. Even when they were successful in registering, registered African Americans were blacklisted by whites which prevented them from buying essential goods and were denied medical services, fired from their jobs, and evicted from their homes.
Local and National Media Report on the Fayette County Movement
Source: Muhammad Speaks, Special Collections, 福利片国产 of Memphis Libraries.
Because of illiteracy, volunteers created copies of the ballots for upcoming elections to help the new voters better cast their votes, but when the ballot order was changed without any announcement beforehand, the first鈥搕ime voters were unable to effectively vote for their chosen candidate. Despite having finally won the right to cast a ballot, accusations of corruption and intimidation regarding the ballot box demonstrated that the roots of racism and segregation would not be so easily removed from Fayette County.
Black Fayette County residents register to vote
When African Americans were finally able to register to vote, the white community responded quickly and powerfully.
Whites swiftly and harshly retaliated against African Americans who registered to vote in the early 1960's. Source: Special Collections, 福利片国产 of Memphis Libraries.
Yancey Discusses Voters Registration
2002 documentary project on Fayette County, TN: Special Collections, 福利片国产 of Memphis Libraries.
Viola McFerren Discusses the Problems with Registering to Vote in Fayette County
2002 documentary project on Fayette County, TN: Special Collections, 福利片国产 of Memphis Libraries.