Letter from Joseph and Nancy Ellin to Friends, Family, and What Not; Letter to Susan; August 7, 1964

              August 7, 1964 [Hattiesburg, Mississippi] [typescript] 


 

Dear Friends, family and what not:


            These letters will bring you up to date no the most important work we are doing this summer:  the attempt to unseat the regular Democratic party delegation (Senator Eastland and company) at the Democratic National Convention.


            The Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, the civil rights party in Mississippi, has completed the process of electing delegates to present our challenge.  Last week conventions were held in each of the five Congressional districts, and yesterday the state convention was held in Jackson.  At these meetings, a slate of delegates, including virtually all the active civil rights leaders in the state, was chosen.  Several courageous white Mississippians are among our delegates.


            The delegation is to go to Atlantic City and demand recognition as the official delegation from Mississippi.  We shall ask the convention to refuse to seat the racist delegates from the regular Democratic party.


            We can win this fight, but we need the help of all our friends in the north.  Please write, call or wire your congressman, Senators, and delegates to the national convention.  Urge them to support our challenge in the credentials committee and on the floor of the convention.  Let them know that you support the civil rights delegates, the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party.


                                                                                    Regards,


                                                                                                Nancy and Joe Ellin


P.S.  You can obtain a list of your state’s delegates to the National Convention by writing to the Secretary of State of your state.


A very effective way of increasing the number of people who write to their representatives is by contacting two or three of your friends, asking them to write, and also to contact some of their friends.


[upside down on the same sheet:]


Susan:


Do be a good girl and try and do something like this, I mean be imaginative and drag parents and all into it.  Our chances are very slim as of now (hot rumor is that LBJ says nothing doing) unless we can start a big stir.  And really nothing would go over better here than Eastland getting a kick in his pants.


What do you think of starting a Friends of SNCC when we get back.  Betty Garman, who says that susan pfeiffer from Lansing is vaguely familiar (Betty is northern coordinator of fds of sncc) got me het up on doing that.  I’m also amused by the thought of sncc in Kalamazoo.


Our other project is getting the Negroes to register and vote against barry.  Will you lay plans for these things while you rest or whatever you do up there?