MUSCATINE, Iowa — Long before they were born, the American Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s was shaping the cultural future for today’s youth.

Monday evening, Jan. 15, students in Muscatine and Louisa counties will meet with a first-hand participant in that historic era who continues her quest to keep its promise alive. 

Civil rights veteran Patti Miller of Fairfield is the keynote speaker for the 2007 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration and Diversity Awards and Scholarship Program Ceremony.

The program is sponsored by HNI Corp., Monsanto and the Muscatine community.

Robert Reed of Monsanto, a coordinator for the program,  said he was thrilled to discover that  Miller, a native Iowan, was available as a speaker.

When Miller, a young white college student from Iowa’s Drake University, began her first day of volunteer work in Meridian, Miss., in the summer of 1964.  Her first task was to help plan a funeral.

That’s because 44 days before she arrived, a young black man, James Chaney, 21, and his two white companions, Andrew Goodman, 20, and Michael Schwerner, 24, were murdered for their involvement in the civil rights movement.

“They found the bodies the first day we arrived,” said Miller, who now lives in Fairfield.

 Chaney, Goodman and Schwerner were working in the Meridian office of the Congress of Racial Equality that summer.  Miller was part of the Mississippi  Summer Project.

She worked with children at the community center in Meridian.

The murders garnered nationwide attention that summer and, more than 20 years later, served as the basis for the movie, “Mississippi Burning,” starring Gene Hackman and Willem Dafoe.

Miller, who helped plan the funeral for Chaney, a Meridian resident, doesn’t criticize the movie’s effort, but she did say the irony of that event leaves her with a much different memory of those dark days.

Before those murders, the deaths of the many black people who had died in the Civil Rights Movement seemed to go unnoticed, she said.

“But when northern whites were killed, people took notice,” she said.

That summer, Miller — who had grown up in rural Iowa in the 1950s, unaware of racism and segregation in the South — lived with a black family in Mississippi. She said her friendship with African and other black students at Drake University inspired her to volunteer for the project. Living in the deep South where blacks drank from separate water fountains and used their own waiting rooms deepened her passion for equality.

After graduation, Miller worked with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Chicago with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) in the Project to End Slums. At the time of King’s assassination on April 4, 1968, she was working as

a music teacher at Chicago’s largest, all-black, inner-city high school.

King’s death added another ironic chapter in the memories of Miller, who said King’s dedication to promoting non-violent behavior inspired her deeply.

Since then, she has been dedicated to helping people understand that they are more alike than different.

Miller, 63, is creating a documentary of her years in the Civil Rights movement.

“I feel honored to have lived and been young in that part of history,” she said.

Miller said she is honored to have been invited to speak at the ceremony, which also includes the acknowledgement of middle and high school students from the Muscatine, Louisa-Muscatine, Wapello, Columbus Junction and Wilton school districts.

The Monsanto Diversity Steering Committee worked with the Muscatine School Board and Muscatine County schools to sponsor and coordinate assemblies and activities for middle and high school students prior to the ceremony.

Students were invited to create academic projects including reports, speeches, art, video and other types of presentations that illustrate an example of diversity.

Students selected as finalists will compete for cash awards and trophies. Seniors will also compete for first-, second- and third-place scholarships.

Students also had the option of participating in auditions for the performing arts category. High school seniors will also be selected to receive scholarships in this category. These prizes are in addition to the cash award students receive for performing at the ceremony. Awards will be announced at the ceremony.

Miller said being part of the program will give her an opportunity to further her life goal of educating people about the need for equality.

“I speak to young people as much as I can,” said Miller. “I believe the younger generation is our hope for the future.”

Contact Cynthia Beaudette at 563-263-2331 ext. 323 or cynthia.beaudette@muscatinejournal.com

At A Glance

Details

What: 2007 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration and Diversity Awards and Scholarship Program Ceremony

When: 4-7:45 p.m. Monday, Jan. 15.

Where: Muscatine HIgh School auditorium.

Who: The program commemorates the legacy of the late civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Students from five area school districts will be acknowledged and awarded for creating projects and performances that focus on the impact of diversity. Patti Miller, a civil rights veteran, will be the keynote speaker.

Admission: No charge. Approximately 350 seats are available for the public and can be reserved by calling Chris Boar of Monsanto at 563-262-7533.

Performers

Students scheduled to perform at the award ceremony:

 Ryan Budding, guitarist/vocalist, Wilton High School

 Rachael Hartman, dancer, Wilton High School

 Rebecca Townsend, instrumentalist, Muscatine High School

 Brooke Armstrong, vocalist, Muscatine High School

Abigail Press, vocalist, Muscatine High School

 Kari Ramsey, dancer, Muscatine High School

Online

View the Freedom Summer sculpture of the late James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Shwerner at http://www.yoyita.com/civilrights.htm

For information on Patti Miller:

http://www.keepinghistoryalive.com/about.html