On June 9, 1963, Fannie Lou Hamer, June Johnson, Annelle Ponder, Euvester Simpson, Rosemary Freeman, James West, and others were riding the bus home to Greenwood, returning from a Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) citizenship school workshop. At the Winona bus depot, a few activitsts tried to integrate Stayley’s Cafe. They were arrested along with others in the group. At the Winona jail, police and coerced Black inmates took them out of their cells one by one and savagely beat them. The group spent four days in jail on charges of disorderly conduct and resisting arrest before securing bail.
Pictured: A black and white photograph of the Stanley Cafe. A waitress wearing white serves White customers in a booth in the back of the restaurant. Other diners are seated on the right, center, and left sides of the café.
Credit: MDAH Sovereignty Commission Collection
