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Letter, PD East to Will D. Campbell

SOUTHERN REGIONAL COUNCIL<br /><br />
63 Auburn Avenue, N.E.<br /><br />
Atlanta, Georgia<br /><br />
February 13, 1957<br /><br />
BACKGROUND SUMMARY OF VIOLENCE AT KOINONIA FARM, SUMTER COUNTY, GEORGIA<br /><br />
Koinonia (Greek for “a community”) was founded in 1942 by a group of Southerners. Located on State Highway 49 in Sumter County near Americus, Georgia, the farm is an interracial religious cooperative with everyone sharing in the proceeds of the farm according to needs. Koinonia, which was started on 440 acres of land, now comprises 1,100. In 1955, Koinonia held its first interracial summer camp for children. The camp was approved by the American Camping Association. The Reverend Clarence Jordan, a Baptist minister, was co-founder of Koinonia and has remained as one of its leaders.<br /><br />
April, 1956--Rev. Clarence Jordan announced that he was willing to sign entrance to Georgia State College of Business Administration (white) for two Negro applicants. Fact was headlined in Americus and other Georgia papers. Rev. Jordan did not actually sign application since he was ruled ineligible to do so by the executive secretary of the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia. The Koinonia newsletter charged that before Rev. Jordan got home from Atlanta, Governor Griffin had called the Sheriff of Sumter County, asking “who Jordan was" and what he was up to. Shortly following press accounts of Rev. Jordan’s Atlanta experience, the farm began to receive anonymous telephone calls. Within a matter of a few days, the first of the farm’s insurance policies were cancelled, retail merchants began to stop handling Koinonia eggs, and roadside signs were torn down. Pistol shots were fired at the roadside stand.<br /><br />
June 9, 1956 - A temporary injunction restraining Koinonia from operating its children’s camp was handed down on charges brought by the Sumter County Health Department. The department asked that the farm be restrained from operating the camp on “health and sanitation ground.”<br /><br />
July, 1956 - A Sumter County health engineer made an inspection of camp and farm and made minor recommendations, which, according to farm officials, "were carried out.”<br /><br />
<br /><br />
July 2, 1956 - At the hearing on the injunction, the county attorney asked that it be postponed to July 19 because he had not had time to prepare his case.<br /><br />
July, 1956 - Wilson Finch, W. A. Helms, Sherrard Horne, and A. H. Jennings, four Sumter County farmers, sought to associate with the county in the injunction<br /><br />
claiming that the sponsors of the camp had no license and would operate the camp<br /><br />
“in a manner detrimental to morals.” Meanwhile, the camp was opened at a site<br /><br />
outside Georgia.<br /><br />
<br /><br />
July 19, 1956 - At the hearing, Superior Court Judge Cleveland Rees looked at the crowded courtroom and decided that it would be a "wrangle between the gospel and law,” and so ordered another postponement with the cases to be presented by brief and affidavit. Material was to be presented to him by September 20, 1956.<br /><br />
July 23. 1956- The roadside market at Koinonia was dynamited. The blast occurred shortly after 10 p.m. Damage was estimated at $3,000.

Background Summary of Violence at Koinonia Farm, Sumter County, Georgia

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Will D. Campbell

Nashville Protest

AN OPEN LETTER TO CHRISTIAN MINISTERS IN GEORGIA<br /><br />
Macon, Georgia<br /><br />
April 7, 1957<br /><br />
"In regard to recent publicity concerning Koinonia Farm Inc. near Americus, Georgia, we, the undersigned, in light of our present understanding express our belief that:<br /><br />
1. Koinonia Farm is a Christian community.<br /><br />
2. Acts of violence have come from persons outside the Koinonia group.<br /><br />
3. No connection exists between Koinonia Farm and the Communist Party.<br /><br />
We pray that God 's truth and Christ’s redeeming love may be revealed in this present crisis in Sumter County.”<br /><br />
The Reverend Ray Brewster<br /><br />
Macon<br /><br />
The Reverend Colin Campbell<br /><br />
Columbus<br /><br />
The Reverend Glen Dorris<br /><br />
Gainesville<br /><br />
The Reverend Peter W. Flemming<br /><br />
Jesup<br /><br />
The Reverend Truett Gannon<br /><br />
Eatonton<br /><br />
The Reverend Earl Gilbreath<br /><br />
Athens<br /><br />
The Reverend Paul Hanna<br /><br />
Athens<br /><br />
Dr. W.J. Hinson<br /><br />
Macon<br /><br />
The Reverend Richard Hollinger<br /><br />
Columbus<br /><br />
The Reverend J.W. Howard<br /><br />
Macon<br /><br />
The Reverend Charles Jackson<br /><br />
Columbus<br /><br />
The Reverend Emmett S. Johnson<br /><br />
Macon<br /><br />
Dr. Edwin D. Johnston<br /><br />
Macon<br /><br />
Dr. T. Stewart Matthews<br /><br />
Macon<br /><br />
Dr. Harold McManus<br /><br />
Macon<br /><br />
<br /><br />
The Reverend Robert B. McNeill<br /><br />
Columbus<br /><br />
The Reverend B. G. Munro<br /><br />
Athens<br /><br />
Dr D. B. Nicholson<br /><br />
Athens<br /><br />
The Reverend F. R. Otto<br /><br />
Macon<br /><br />
The Reverend Nathaniel Parker<br /><br />
Athens<br /><br />
The Reverend William W. Rogers<br /><br />
Athens<br /><br />
The Reverend Francis Stewart,<br /><br />
Monticello<br /><br />
The Reverend E. L. Waters<br /><br />
Macon<br />

An Open Letter to Christian Minsters in Georgia

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Byline and image for P. D. East from the Petal Paper.

April 1, 1957<br /><br />
<br /><br />
The Rev. Maynard Catchings<br /><br />
291 Broadway<br /><br />
New York City<br /><br />
<br /><br />
Dear Maynard:<br /><br />
Do you have any good New England students who would volunteer to do a short hitch on the Southern front? I have just returned from Koinonia Farms and was distressed to learn that one of their greatest needs at present is for some relief in keeping watch at night. A small group of Haverford College students were passing through and kept watch the night I was there and it was appreciated so very much.<br /><br />
Of course, such students should be fully informed as to the situation there and the dangers involved. They would also have to be committed to the non-violent approach. It occurred to me that this would be a great experience for some young existentialists who know the Southern struggle only from the press.<br /><br />
I will not push this, Maynard. Maybe it is a crazy idea. But If you have small groups on various campuses who could take a couple of nights each for a few weeks it would be a great relief for the residents of Koinonia and a terrific witness for the students. If you want more information on it let me know.<br /><br />
Are you coming to the Conference on Christian Faith and Human Relations in Nashville April 23-25? If you can make it we should like very much to have you stay with us while you are here. Let me know.<br /><br />
Cordially yours,<br /><br />
Will D. Campbell<br />

Letter, Will D. Campbell to Rev. Maynard Catchings asking for student volunteers to keep watch at Koinonia Farm

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Letter, Will D. Campbell to Lelia Anderson about publicizing materials relating to Koinonia Farm and Southern Leaders Conference

1 page<br /><br />
10 Bold<br /><br />
AND ABOUT SELMA<br /><br />
What can one say about Selma if he is white and can vote and even walk to his state capitol if he wants to? Excuse me? I’m sorry? <br /><br />
Selma seems to say more about America than about Alabama. For it seems to point out how nation-wide we think white. We, most of us, were shocked at the murder of James Reeb of Boston. <br /><br />
We responded to that tragedy by sending the widow, through our highest elected official, several long-stemmed yellow roses, mixed with snapdragons. <br /><br />
Yellow roses!<br /><br />
Was it our compassion or our cynicism?<br /><br />
Whichever it was, three weeks earlier another man was killed in that same struggle just a few miles from where James Reeb was struck down. <br /><br />
He had no wife, but he had a mother. She received no yellow roses. To date no arrests have been made in connection with his death though his dying testimony was that he had been shot by an Alabama State Trooper. <br /><br />
He was black. <br /><br />
Four arrests have been made in connection with the death of Reverend Reeb. They should have been. <br /><br />
And yellow roses to his widow.<br /><br />
No roses and no arrests for the black man. <br /><br />
THE YELLOW ROSE OF TEXAS!<br /><br />
Pardon the murdered black man if his ghostly laughter is sardonic. For strange thing about all that. “The Yellow Rose of Texas” was a mulatto woman. <br /><br />
But no roses for the black man. How many of us even know his name? His rottening flesh must now sing out the new lyrics: <br /><br />
My half sister was the yellow rose.<br /><br />
My brother got the flowers. <br />

Rough draft of writings, And About Selma and The Yellow Rose of Texas

December 4, 1956<br /><br />
I visited with Mr. East and with his printer, Mr. Esten King of Pascagoula, Mississippi and received the following information. Because of economic reprisals on the part of the White Citizens Council of Mississippi, Mr. East has lost most of his advertising and will probably go out of business early in January unless some help is forth coming. Following this conversation, I talked with Dr. Lee of the Department of Racial and Cultural Relations of the National Council and gave him that information and reminded him of a conversation which we had had earlier with Mr. Roy Wilkins of the NAACP, to the effect that probably some national advertising might be sought and received for Mr. East.<br /><br />
December 12, 1956<br /><br />
I received a call from Dr. Lee requesting the number of subscribers to the Petal Paper and also the advertising rate. I got this information for him, and called him back. Two days later he called me and said that it seemed impossible to get national advertising for the Petal Paper, but requested that I supply him with a hundred and fifteen names of individuals in Mississippi to whom the Petal Paper might be sent. He informed me that ten organizations were willing to buy fifteen subscriptions each, making a total of a hundred and fifteen subscriptions.<br /><br />
December 27, 1956<br /><br />
I called Mr. East and asked if he would supply me with some of these names. He replied that he preferred not to do so, that if anyone desired his paper and could not afford it, he would be glad to send them a dollar to get a nickel paper to them, but if they did not want his paper, then he would not be a party to seeing that they got one. He was of course most appreciative of this effort by the various national agencies and said that he would be happy to supply the gift subscriptions to the individuals, but preferred that we make our own list, which I agreed to do.<br />

Internal memo from Will D. Cambell documenting his work securing subscriptions to the Petal Paper and money for P.D. East to keep the newspaper afloat

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