LETTER FROM FINGER 06/06/1965
Dear
.Tv.ne S,
1965
As mucin as I   'and probably you)   dislike Tors.
nvirent situation
here fer?os mo to rasoit to on^., -Our office manager of tho past y-^r; Joanna
Ogiman? left us over **-month !lgo to work in the district  office;  tho girl she
replaced her    boeasiQ ill nnd bad to go horns soon aftor Joenno loft* Therefore,
most correspondence has gone unans^or 3d„ X returned to Canton from xi.nl raising
trip?  ttsoovered  ..hia situation  .-.  SJSd herein am attempting J\o cornet it*
Tho current situations  Around our end of ^ho fourth district, looks seme"
thing liko thlse   Madison County. Petitions ->omir-.rr in on reeeat (though net who!"f
successful; boycott of tho AS OS oloctions;   sowing au"op has produced some shirts
with which 3111 Forsyth (staff) is ■♦tasytlajj te obtain markats in N7G$ Public
accomodations testing continues vith the pubjii park and svinnaag pool neat \je>
linos county prepares for mora than twenty JDP si^mmer project rolu*4ee>re|    plans
are mado for testinr. Tiilo III of '64 Civil Rights Is* and Voter RegistralOB and
Education continues| Kogorea meet with loc-il aerehents to discuss boycott and
the initiation of ftrir hiring prsoticesi Rural people aro pressing tho county
with petitions for the upgrading of rural  roads^   Rankin, County, Massive VP, drive,*
voter sduoatlon cl«oa«sn„   fund raising for burned ok'  ;h9 are n21 part of impetus
genera-tod among loc*i people by the SttOe^.sfttl Rankir  Co., aareh.  southern ares of
county  is being opened up by area high fohool students in an intensive canvassing
drivoc This sane technique is being uso* *<> open up neighboring 8cott Co* and
will boob bo initistsd in Simpson Coonl/, into which staff is going to dots this
summer,* Logic o County    The movement,  ran mostly by local pooplo is pressing hard
on voter registration. The Harmony Cor:in:unity Cantor is Visa a focal point  for
movment activity i Jasper County   this area has boon opened by ox-end, Co.  staff ore
Phil Shares a»d    J. 'y    Hampton,   four FDP volunteers are expected to help tho
two staff people thoro. ?l*ns sro being laid for opoaitaK Smith County during tho
summer* pooplo would work it  form \ho piapson Co.;  sido and tho Jasper Co„  sidot
Throughout  the distriot thj FDP is building support for tho challenge and for
its program of    the Summer of 1965,.,
We now havo a fourth distriot office^  operating la Philadelphia (Neshoba Coo)
under tho vary nos^ of Lawrence Rainey<  This office is responsible   for najataini'^jj
inter-T>vojoc+- communication and for co-ordinating district movement activities.
They have a research staff which aids local staff in rosearobing problems involving
federal programs, local laws otc0 Tho researeh also helps guide us in the now
directions  for th~ movement   The distriot office also handles the admin* ktrntivo
business for  tho entire  foruth distriot  staffc
Although r* ■• efforts sro perhaps eelipsod, in the eyes of northerners, by the
more dramatic happenings in Alabama  md Loaisisiia9 nevertheless wo are still here,
still working hard,  and still euceedjingj little by Uttlo. le still need your
support f perhaps now more than ever before* Money is shors in ail CtvilRights
groups involved in direct action in the south   C0R2,  the  group responsible far
the fourth songressloanl district ii especially  ^horfc of funds,  and   ii concentrating
what limited  founds it has in X*a<> and be Car*  tnis aamxoi'o Po,  finanolally, we
are almost on our owi?.c
What do wo peed '(    FOOD,   for t la Staff,   (Fed.,  surplus feeds are aos begianiSJ g
to bo distributed among the  indigent of both races in tho south)? Mimeo saohines,
mimoo paper,  mi moo  stencils, mimeo correction fluid, typewrit aro  f,this office now
has only one smi-workable msohine) Of course MONJjYs   for tires,, postage, rent) etc-
(if anyone has contacts for tires,  oil, huo:tio*J"c supplies, or, thinking big^
even carssnaw or usedv    please help us  *
Once again:, plea3a forgive -"hie form letter,   But since this field worker
cannot determino from the jumbled files the present stato of our communications.
I thought  that this would bo the  b.
get tilings in order* If you   seat
any farther information on an? projectB sepeioif ares of the district, ar   way
in which you oan nelp ua,,  please ^rite to me    (839 L'Jti Avar.ua      Can-son,,  2.1fi&o)
or call     '.   6Cv    699"9944)(l  In any case let this letter serve  to  reopen lines
of communication,.   Iha^k you f?r y^ur sontinued support of our work here in HiSS<
We hope that our  suuoesa this summer g^^n be  rimed without the  supreme saor-ficc
made last yaarft
Tours in Froodom
QJ //A
Gregory Hf finger
COIO STAFF Casting project manager J
P,S, PLSASE   No large shipaents of books*  Our library is sires y overflowing?
an*1 oxher projects naod thes<   books, Writo    CORS 38 Park Roe NTC to
find out where tc send thesruThe saw ^ues f<s' irlsthes; those   -f'ien
create more problems th-ia they sre worth THANKS CHF
1