Christopher Wilson Freedom Summer Collection

During the summer of 1964, student volunteers from across the United States descended on Mississippi in a concerted effort to register African Americans to vote. Christopher Wilson, a student at Stanford University at the time, worked in Hattiesburg with the local chapter of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP) and with the Council of Federated Organizations (COFO), the organization that oversaw efforts by the various civil rights groups. Mr. Wilson’s political activities extended outside of the state, however, when he attended the Democratic State Central Committee of California meeting and spoke to the committee members. Partially as a result of Mr. Wilson’s speech at the meeting, the Democratic State Central Committee of California passed a resolution urging the recognition of the MFDP delegation by the Democratic National Convention of 1964. In addition to Mr. Wilson’s activism, his father and mother, Mr. and Mrs. Richard Wilson, worked in California to provide support to their son and the other volunteers from California.