When people talk about the movement
as if it started in ’64, it erases every
body who vanished on the way home
from work or school and is still listed
as missing. It erases the pile of recovered
bodies—some burnt, shot, dismembered,
some beaten just beyond recognition.
It mutes every unsung voice in Mississippi
that dared to speak up—fully understanding
the consequences. When people talk
about the movement as if it started in ’64,
it erases his entire life’s work.
It means he lived and died for nothing.
And that’s worse than killing him again.