“Whose Freedom?” by Will D. Campbell (1965)

            Reverend Will D. Campbell was born in Amite County, Mississippi, in 1924. At the age of 17, he was ordained as a Baptist minister, and at the age of 18, he joined the Army and served as a combat medic in the Southwest Pacific theater during World War II. In the 1950’s, Rev. Campbell aided in the civil rights movement. Amid the racism rampant among White Americans in the South at the time, he held open-minded beliefs about love and inclusion of all regardless of race. He attended three colleges and earned a bachelor’s degree in English from what is now Wake Forest University in North Carolina and a divinity degree from Yale before taking the role of chaplain at the University of Mississippi, which he left due to death threats for his integrationist views.

            Rev. Campbell soon found himself helping with the civil rights movement. He befriended Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and in 1957, he was the only White person invited to the founding of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). In addition to his work with the SCLC, Campbell escorted the Little Rock Nine past angry mobs in their first attempt at integration into Little Rock Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. He also counselled the 1961 Freedom Riders before personally accompanying them himself and joined in Dr. King’s efforts in Birmingham, Alabama, including boycotts, sit-ins, and marches where he was pushed back with fire hoses along with the rest of the marchers. He abandoned organized religion to avoid racist barriers and preached and aided to anyone who needed it. He criticized Protestant churches in the south for turning a blind eye to the problems surrounding them and became known as a maverick who preached to both White and Black poor communities across the south as he sought to help marginalized communities.  

            In 1965, Campbell received a letter from Kenneth Winston, the editor for the Nashville-based Methodist Church publication Classmate. In the letter, Winston thanked Campbell for the article “Whose Freedom?” which Winston says, “In very simple terms . . . clearly examines the meaning of freedom for both White and Black in the racial revolution.” In his article, Campbell recalls a march in which he participated in a bi-racial delegation to speak with the mayor of an unspecified city. The mayor was sympathetic to the civil rights movement and had helped in the past by putting a gradual school integration program into effect. He was also hesitant to publicly address the peaceful protesters, though, since doing so could cost him his career and any chance he had to quietly help the movement with his influence. Throughout the article, Campbell reflects on the various struggles and injustices that Black Americans faced both in past years and at the time of the march. The system rejected Black Americans their rights and remained unwilling to accept them or the White people who sympathized with them. Campbell argues that White citizens harmed themselves by oppressing Black citizens and ostracizing anyone who sympathized with their cause. He succinctly stated his thoughts when he wrote that “freedom is a tricky thing. One person denies to another at his own peril” (3).

            Special Collections at The University of Southern Mississippi has a typed draft of Rev. Campbell’s article with handwritten corrections. It is accompanied by the letter from Kenneth Winston thanking Rev. Campbell for his contribution of the article to Classmate. If you would like to view these papers, visit the reading room on the third floor of McCain Library & Archives from 9am – 4pm Monday-Friday.

If you have any questions, contact Jennifer Brannock at Jennifer.Brannock@usm.edu  or 601.266.4347.

Sources Consulted

Langer, Emily. “Will D. Campbell, Preacher and Civil Rights Activist, Dies at 88.” The Washington Post. June 8, 2013. https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/will-d-campbell-preacher-and-civil-rights-activist-dies-at-88/2013/06/08/70b67d0a-cee4-11e2-9f1a-1a7cdee20287_story.html

McFadden, Robert D. “Rev. Will D. Campbell, Maverick Minister in Civil Rights Era, Dies at 88.” The New York Times. June 4, 2013. https://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/05/us/will-d-campbell-maverick-minister-and-civil-rights-stalwart-dies-at-88.html

Woo, Elaine. “Will D. Campbell Dies at 88; Maverick Minister Aided Integration.” Los Angeles Times. June 8, 2013. https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-xpm-2013-jun-08-la-me-0609-will-campbell-20130609-story.html  

Text by Phillip Snyder, Practicum Student and SLIS Graduate Student.