Bob Zellner: “Poitier and Brando, Mississippi 1964” - The Moth

Summary

The Moth Podcast Summary: "Bob Zellner: Poitier and Brando, Mississippi 1964"

Introduction

In the January 19, 2009 episode of The Moth podcast, storyteller Bob Zellner shares his compelling firsthand experiences as a white southerner deeply involved in the Civil Rights Movement. Zellner’s narrative unfolds in Mississippi during the tumultuous summer of 1964, highlighting the intersection of activism, celebrity involvement, and the relentless struggle against racial segregation.

Background: A Troubled Heritage and a Transformative Path

Bob Zellner begins by providing a glimpse into his upbringing in Lower Alabama, emphasizing his family's fundamentalist and Ku Klux Klan (KKK) affiliations. Despite this, Zellner's life took a drastic turn during his college years at Huntington College in Montgomery, Alabama, where he encountered influential civil rights leaders Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks. These interactions inspired him to join the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in 1961, marking the beginning of his active participation in the Civil Rights Movement.

"I grew up in South Alabama. My father was a Methodist minister. He was also a member of the Ku Klux Klan... But I went to Huntington College in Montgomery, Alabama in 1957, and if you'll remember what's happening in the south at that time, I wound up as my senior year, meeting Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks." [02:25]

Life in SNCC: Trials and Tribulations

Zellner recounts his tenure with SNCC from 1961 to 1967, during which he faced significant adversity, including 25 arrests across five states, physical assaults, and other forms of mistreatment. Despite these challenges, Zellner remained steadfast in his commitment to dismantling segregation and fighting for voting rights for African Americans.

"From 1961 to 1967, Bob Zellner was arrested 25 times in five states. His story is told in the movie Mississippi Burning." [13:14]

The Summer of 1964: Mobilizing for Change in Mississippi

The core of Zellner’s story focuses on the pivotal summer of 1964 in Greenwood, Mississippi—a period marked by extreme violence against civil rights workers and intense efforts to register Black voters. SNCC strategized to bring national attention and support to Mississippi by organizing students and attracting high-profile figures to bolster their cause.

Celebrity Involvement: Poitier and Brando in Mississippi

A significant highlight of Zellner’s narrative is the involvement of renowned actors Sidney Poitier and Marlon Brando, alongside singer Harry Belafonte, in the Civil Rights Movement's efforts in Mississippi. Their presence was intended to draw media attention and lend credibility to the movement’s endeavors.

"Here was Belafonte and them back there. And they said, well, they've never seen anything like this. But it meant a tremendous amount in that summer of 64..." [08:30]

Zellner shares a personal anecdote about his task to accompany Marlon Brando, despite feeling intimidated by the legendary actor. During a drive to a massive rally, Brando's attempt to use a segregated bathroom became a memorable moment, illustrating the pervasive racism of the time and Brando's desire for dignity even in small actions.

"Can you imagine? I'm 21 years old, I hardly ever been out of Alabama, and now I've got to go around with this guy who is a legend..." [07:45]

The Rally: A Triumph of Unity and Music

At the rally in Greenwood, Mississippi, attended by 14,000 people, Zellner finds himself thrust into a pivotal moment where music and solidarity play crucial roles. Despite initial misunderstandings by event organizers, who mistakenly attribute his fame to Belafonte, Zellner leverages his Southern upbringing to lead the crowd in singing freedom and church songs, igniting a powerful and unified atmosphere.

"We sang some songs. And that place rocked. I'm telling you, that place." [09:15]

Impact and Legacy: Catalyst for Change

The collaborative efforts of activists and celebrities in Mississippi laid the groundwork for significant legislative changes, culminating in the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Zellner credits the involvement of figures like Harry Belafonte and Sidney Poitier with helping to galvanize national support and bring about the end of voting segregation in the South.

"Harry Belafonte actually summed up the immense experience of that summer by bringing people from outside bringing the world press to Mississippi. And it was the beginning of the end of racial segregation at the voting booth in Mississippi and the rest of the south..." [12:00]

Conclusion

Bob Zellner’s story is a poignant testament to the power of dedication, solidarity, and the unexpected alliances that can emerge in the fight for justice. Through his vivid recounting, listeners gain a deeper understanding of the sacrifices made by civil rights activists and the pivotal moments that shaped the course of American history.

Notable Quotes

Bob Zellner on His Motivations:

"I joined the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, SNCC...we didn't believe that we couldn't go anywhere in the United States." [03:10]
Reflection on Marlon Brando’s Authenticity:

"He was certainly a great actor to be able to do that in the front seat of a car on a dark night in Mississippi." [08:00]
Harry Belafonte’s Insight on Brotherhood:

"No matter what they do, it is always true that brotherhood and sisterhood is not so wild a dream as those who profit by postponing it." [12:50]

Final Thoughts

Bob Zellner’s narrative not only illuminates the historical struggles of the Civil Rights Movement but also underscores the enduring significance of solidarity across diverse communities. His experiences serve as a powerful reminder of the courage and resilience required to effect meaningful societal change.

Transcript

A (0:00)

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B (1:21)

Welcome to the Moth Podcast. Hi, I'm Dan Kennedy. The Moth features true stories told live without notes. All stories on the Moth Podcast are taken from our ongoing storytelling series in New York and Los Angeles and from our tour shows across the country. Visit themoth.org the story you're about to hear by Bob Zellner was recorded live at the Moth main stage.

C (1:49)

I'm glad to be here in New York tonight. My daughter was here earlier. She's a New York psychoanalyst and you just about have to be one to be an analyst in New York. But I also have a daughter named Katie, so be easy on us. I'm Bob Zellner. I'm actually from LA Lower Alabama. I grew up in South Alabama. My father was a Methodist minister. He was also a member of the Ku Klux Klan. My grandfather was a member of the Klan and most of my aunts and uncles. The aunts were of course in the Auxiliary clan. I was named after Bob Jones, who has a Bob Jones University. He also conducted the wedding ceremony for my mother and father. So I come from a very fundamentalist, even terroristic background and so to be known as a New Yorker is unusual. And it's also unusual that someone with my background would have wound up in the Civil Rights movement. But I went to Huntington College in Montgomery, Alabama in 1957, and if you'll remember what's happening in the south at that time, I wound up as my senior year, meeting Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks. And they got me started on a life of crime. As a result of their influence, When I graduated college in 1961, I joined the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, SNCC. Some of you older people might remember that SNCC was one of the civil rights organizations. We were young and brash, and we didn't believe that we couldn't go anywhere in the United States. And so we usually went to the roughest places there were. I was with SNCC from 1961 to 1967, and I was the first white southerner field secretary for sncc and also one of the last whites in the organization when it became all black in about 1967. As a result of being in SNCC, I was arrested 25 times in five different states, shot at, beaten, and generally mistreated. I don't know why they did that to us in the south, but we did have a lot of supporters, and we had a lot of supporters here in New York. So I thank you belatedly for that. One of the events that I remember particularly about that time, and Muriel Tillinghast and her daughter are with us tonight also. They're SNCC veterans, and also my daughter's friend, Scott are here also. But one of the things that I remember particularly was the summer of 1964. It was a particularly mythic period in the United States, because in that summer, we organized students from all around the country to come to Mississippi because people were getting killed because they were black and wanted to register to vote. Many of our organizers were shot. Some of them were killed. And we thought that if we brought students from around the country to Mississippi, then we would be able to break that wall of segregation and be able to get support from the United States. We thought that the federal government would come to our aid. And one of the myths was that the federal government was actually in favor of civil rights at that time. One of the movies that was made of the 1964 period, which I had something to do with, was Mississippi Burning. They participated in the mythic misrepresentedation of American history when they made the FBI the heroes of the civil rights movement. In Greenwood, Mississippi, that summer, after the murder of three civil rights workers, Cheney, Goodman, and Schwerner, two of whom were white New Yorkers, this country rose up to a person practically and said, we have to end segregation once and for all. And the federal government was not yet willing to go along with that. When we organized Those students in 1964 to come to Mississippi. Do you know what the reaction of our government was? J. Edgar Hoover went on television and radio the day before. 1000 students were to come to Mississippi for the summer and. And said, there will be no federal protection for civil rights workers in Mississippi this summer. The reaction of the Klan was to capture the first three civil rights workers who came down, crossed the state line. They were murdered, and buried 18ft deep in an earthen dam. The reaction of the student nonviolent coordinating committee and other civil rights organizations was to mobilize massively to go into Mississippi. If they thought that that would keep people out, it helped bring people to Mississippi, brave people. And one of the groups that came were American stars, American actors. And I have a particular memory of Harry belafonte, Sidney Poitier, and Marlon Brando coming to greenwood, Mississippi that summer. Greenwood, Mississippi, was a cauldron of violence. Beckwith was from Mississippi. Beckwith had killed Medgar Evers and was a hero in Mississippi because he murdered a black civil rights worker. Greenwood, Mississippi, was as lawless as the west ever was, and it was open season on civil rights workers. And yet Harry Belafonte, Sidney Poitier, and the mythic Marlon Brando came to us in Mississippi in the summer of 64. Now, my particular relationship with this was that I was a white southerner and a member of the staff, so I was to take care of Mr. Brando. Can you imagine? I'm 21 years old, I hardly ever been out of Alabama, and now I've got to go around with this guy who is a legend, of course, in his own mind and ours as well. I picked him up at the airport, and we talked about how to get from the airport to this tremendous rally that had been organized for these three people and also to show that the outside world was coming to Mississippi. And I picked Belafonte up because we had to segregate. We couldn't have black people and white people in the same car because we'd get shot at more often that way. And I remember Jim foreman, the executive director of sncc, said, okay, Bob, you drive Marlon to the rally and pretend you're ordinary white people. So I said, well, I can pretend, but I don't know about Marlon, but he's supposed to be a good actor, so hopefully we'll make out all right. So we're on the way to this rally, 14,000 people waiting at the gymnasium to meet these mythic people. And Brando says, before we get there, Zellner, I've got to Go to the bathroom. And I said, at a time like this, you've got to go to the bathroom. He said, well, yeah, there's one here. I said, well, there's a truck stop up here. We'll stop at that bathroom. He said, what kind of bathroom do they have? I said, why does it matter? He said, well, it has to be a particular kind of bathroom. Because he said, do they have stalls, or is it like all urinals and everything? And I said, well, they have some urinals. Maybe they have some stalls and everything. He says, I hope they have stalls. So I said to myself, I don't care if it is Marlon Brando. I'm going to find out about this. So I said, why is that, Marlon? I'm driving along. He said, well. He said, it's terrible. He says, I'm standing there like a normal person, doing my business and everything. Somebody's right next to me. And all of a sudden they say, you're Marlon Brando. He was certainly a great actor to be able to do that in the front seat of a car on a dark night in Mississippi. But I think he was putting me at ease. But anyway, I remember thinking, boy, I'm here with Marlon Brando now. We're going to go to this huge rally. We swept into the rally and all the people there, 14,000 people inside and out, they just went crazy. Here's Harry Belafonte, good friend of our Secretary of State Powell and Marlon Brando. And so the chairman of our group stands up and he says, we have a man tonight who's one of the greatest singers in America. We want to have a song from him, right? To start with, he said, I give you Bob Zellner. And I said, do you mean Belafonte? And he said, no. He said, they better hear some freedom songs. You know, we gotta get this thing warmed up. So I happened to have been raised in the south, and I, you know, knew all the freedom songs, all the church songs and everything. So we sang some songs. And that place rocked. I'm telling you, that place. And here was Belafonte and them back there. And they said, well, they've never seen anything like this. But it meant a tremendous amount in that summer of 64, because just prior to them coming, Silas McGee, who was the project director of the Greenwood SNCC office, had been shot in the side of the head with a.38 caliber slug. I caught him as he fell with the slug in the side of his head. Many other people were brutalized because they wanted to go and register to vote. I remember one time 1000 people were standing at the courthouse in Greenwood, Mississippi. And here's what the white people did. They pulled up in a big pickup truck and they got out with the monkey and on the monkey's sign, there was a sign on the monkey that says, I want to vote too. Now that was both the murderers and the humorists coming to the fore. But you know, we had humor that would beat their humor because a huge debate broke out in the line of black people and some people said, that's an insult. Why would they insult us like that? And other people said, no, that's no insult. That 85 year old white woman has a right to vote like anybody else. Anyway, that was the summer of 64. People were killed. We sang, we laughed. But you know, it was Harry Belafonte who actually summed up the immense experience of that summer by bringing people from outside bringing the world press to Mississippi. And it was the beginning of the end of racial segregation at the voting booth in Mississippi and the rest of the south because by 1965, the next year, the Voting Rights act passed. And it passed because people like Harry Belafonte and Sidney Poitier and my friend Marlon Brando came south and helped us. Harry summed it up at the end of that great mass meeting when he said, no matter what they do, it is always true that brotherhood and sisterhood is not so wild a dream as those who profit by postponing it. Pretend. Thank you.