North Riverdale Man faced Death Penalty for Registering Black Voters in GA, 1963

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    • #1264
      ndembowski
      Keymaster

        In the 1950s Donald S. Harris was a student at Ethical Culture Fieldston School, a congregant of Christ Church Riverdale, and a resident of North Riverdale–where he played baseball in the park on a team sponsored by Riverdale Steakhouse.  In 1963, he spent many weeks in jail for his part in the effort to enfranchise Black voters in the south for the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee.

        The Riverdale Press told the story (enlarged text below):

        Text:

        Riverdale Press Editorial:

        Some additional information published:

        His Release:

        There is a really great interview with Harris that was done in 2017 that gets into his time in Riverdale and the sacrifices of his parents that allowed him to attend Fieldston: https://oralhistory.rutgers.edu/64-text-html/1860-harris-donald

        A little more info on his civil rights activisim: https://snccdigital.org/people/don-harris/

         

         

         

      • #4478
        COGGINSS
        Participant

        • #4479
          COGGINSS
          Participant

            “Insurrection Law in Georgia Voided”, NYT, November 2, 1963, declaring the 1871 sedition law  unconstitutional.

             

            The NYT Machine would not let me pdf this article.

          • #4480
            COGGINSS
            Participant

            • #4481
              COGGINSS
              Participant

              • #4482
                COGGINSS
                Participant

                  <p style=”text-align: right;”></p>

                • #4483
                  COGGINSS
                  Participant

                  • #4484
                    COGGINSS
                    Participant

                      “In it’s opinion…the Court …found  that the insurrection and unlawful assembly statutes were unconstitutional and void.”

                      • #4485
                        COGGINSS
                        Participant

                          Donald S. Harris actions were more than courageous example of political action, this case changed civil rights law and set constitutional precedent.

                      • #4486
                        jbakerjonathan
                        Participant

                          Historic times!  The fortitude that people had in the face of institutional power is forever humbling to me.

                        • #4487
                          Thomas Casey
                          Participant

                            Yes….More Historic recent news of  an insurrection that cane be traced to political change

                          • #4788
                            COGGINSS
                            Participant

                              Commemorating Juneteenth 2025 by recognizing the contributions of local history to the overall narrative.

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