Meridian native James Chaney began working for COFO before Freedom Summer began. Chaney worked closely with Michael and Rita Schwerner to establish COFO’s presence in the city, focusing on voter registration. Chaney, Michael Schwerner, and Andrew Goodman left early from volunteer training in Ohio to investigate the burning of Mt. Zion United Methodist Church in Neshoba County. They were reported missing, and an investigation was underway for several weeks until an FBI informant led agents to the bodies in a newly constructed dam on August 4, 1964. Fannie Lee Chaney had a private service for her son, where Dave Dennis’s eulogy reignited the community to fight harder.
Pictured: A black and white photograph of James Chaney. He is wearing a light, short-sleeved shirt with stripes around the collar and bottoms of the sleeves. Chaney is leaning slightly to the left.
Credit: Neshoba County Circuit Court
