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“Civil Rights Activists in Dangerous 1960s Mississippi”

“Civil Rights Activists in Dangerous 1960s Mississippi”

July 20th, 2025 @ 10:30 am

Mr. Eddie Short (a former Mississippi sharecropper) and Mrs. Mary Sue Short (a new college graduate at that time) will share some of their experiences doing voter registration work and union organizing in totally segregated and impoverished Mississippi in the 1960s.

They and the Black townspeople in The Movement were jailed several times for their efforts and their lives were threatened, yet they kept going. They will also share some thoughts about making a difference towards justice right now.

Join Mr. and Mrs. Short for an inspiring service at United Unitarian Universalist Congregation at 10:30 am at 506 N Washington Ave, Waukesha. Please note the start time of 10:30 am. Or view the online service by going to youtube.com/@uuucwaukesha

About UUUC’s Guests:
Mrs. Short grew up in Portland, Oregon, in a family of five and became a Christian. She attended college on scholarships when she heard of the injustices of segregation, and was very bothered by that. After her Junior year of college, she went to Nashville, Tennessee to encourage voter registration in the Black community. Then, she returned to college, graduated, and then went to Mississippi to do more work in the movement.

Mr. Short grew up in the small town of Shaw, MS, became a Christian, and was a sharecropper. Being a sharecropper assured that, like most Black families there, his was very poor. When he was 5 years old, he started picking cotton to help the family survive. When he was 7 years old, he began working full time picking and hoeing cotton 10 hours a day. Income from working in the fields was very low, but better-paying jobs were not open to Black people.
The Shorts were 21 and 22 when they met as co-workers in the movement. Even though the segregationists didn’t want Black people to vote, the Shorts worked with community Black people to change this. They also took steps to improve people’s incomes and get better schools. The segregationists tried many ways to stop the movement. They threatened the lives of the Shorts and others in the movement. They jailed many people in the movement, including Mr. Short 4 times and Mrs. Short 5 times.  Despite this, they and many others in the Black community kept working and working to get justice for all.
Later on, the Shorts moved to Wisconsin. Besides working and rearing three sons, they have been active in their church and community, where they helped start a non-profit organization, Mrs. Short served on the Waukesha School Board, and they support other efforts for justice.

UUCW Worship Carpooling! Please meet at UUCW’s East Parking lot at 9:15 am. After confirming drivers, cars will depart at 9:30 am for the United UU Congregation. The UUCW building will be closed this Sunday.
UUUC’s Accessibility and childcare: The main door is wheelchair accessible. A ramp runs along the side of the building, starting at the handicapped parking at the back of the lot. Childcare is available during the service.

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