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George Albertz Papers

 Collection
Identifier: SCA-0038-A

Scope and Content Note

The George Albertz Collection documents Albertz’s 1964 participation the Greenwood Freedom School, part of the Mississippi Freedom Project. While in Greenwood, he was arrested 3 times, twice for “reckless driving” and once for “parading without a permit and contributing to the delinquency of minors.” His bail receipts, a written account of his arrest record and correspondences with lawyers dealing with his arrests are part of the collection. Once back in the New York area, he participated in the Democratic Party Convention in Atlantic City to support the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party efforts to be legitimately recognized. In the collection there are also a number of news articles relating to the deaths of James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner, as well as articles on a group of students led by Sid Simon on a trip to rebuild churches in Mississippi.

Dates

  • 1964-2013

Creator

Access

Collection is open for research. Staff may restrict access at its discretion on the basis of physical condition.

Biographical Note

George Albertz was born in 1935 in New York, NY to Hubert and Krescenz Albertz, both German immigrants. He graduated from St. John’s University in 1961 and was a member of the Army Reserve for seven years. Influenced by his father, who fought corruption in the AFL-CIO Services Employees’ Union Local 32-E and whose papers are also at Queens College, Albertz joined the Civil Rights movement. Albertz joined the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in February 1964. He helped raise awareness of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party by contacting local churches and organizations for support. Albertz traveled to Greenwood, Mississippi in 1964 as part of the Mississippi Freedom Project. He was arrested there 3 times, twice for “reckless driving” and once for “parading without a permit and contributing to the delinquency of minors.” The last charge occurred while Albertz was walking back to the Greenwood SNCC office after participating in a demonstration of teenagers picketing a store in response to police brutality. This arrest led to a $500 payment for bail. A high volume of targeted arrests were made against civil rights activists in Mississippi, which were lumped together and sent to the Federal Courts and over concerns of fair trial. They were sent back to the Mississippi courts where they were not further pursued. The charges against Albertz accumulated that summer were eventually dropped by City of Greenwood. In August 1964, Albertz went to protest the Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City, New Jersey, after returning to New York from Mississippi. In 1966, he joined the Woodcrest commune in Rifton, New York, which in 1964 donated a car to a group of Queens College students. These students, under the guidance of Queens College Professor Sid Simon, went down to Mississippi to rebuild churches destroyed by the Ku Klux Klan.

Extent

0.1 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

The George Albertz Papers (1964-2011) document Albertz’s stay and arrests in Greenwood, Mississippi during the 1964 Mississippi Freedom Summer, a national campaign to register black voters in Mississippi. The collection also covers his involvement in the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, a civil rights party that challenged the whites-only Democratic Party in Mississippi. Included are articles on the deaths of James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner, who were murdered on June 21, 1964 by members of the Ku Klux Klan.

Arrangement Note

The George Albertz Papers is comprised of one series: Series I: Freedom Summer Papers

Source

Donated by George Albertz in 2011.

Related Collections

The following Queens College collections include more records from the Mississippi Freedom Summer Project:

Mark Levy Papers

Barbara (Jones) Omolade Papers

Robert Masters Papers

Susan Nichols Papers

Johnnie Mae Walker Letter to Anne Koeppicus

Copyright

Some materials include copyright stipulations by George Albertz. Researchers are to contact him to obtain permission for reproduction. The George Albertz Papers are physically owned by the Queens College Libraries. Literary rights, including copyright, belong to the authors or their legal heirs and assignees. The collection is subject to all copyright laws. Queens College assumes no responsibility for the infringement of copyrights held by the original authors, creators, or producers of materials.

Title
George Albertz Papers
Status
Completed
Author
Thomas Cleary
Date
July 2013
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
Undetermined
Script of description
Code for undetermined script

Repository Details

Part of the Queens College (New York, N.Y.) Special Collections and Archives Repository

Contact:
Queens College Library, CUNY
Benjamin Rosenthal Library RO317
65-30 Kissena Boulevard
Flushing 11367 USA us