Fannie Lee Chaney
Encyclopedia
Fannie Lee Chaney was an American
baker
turned civil rights activist after her son James Chaney
was murdered by the Ku Klux Klan
during the 1964 Freedom Summer
rides in Mississippi.
After her son’s murder, Mrs. Chaney sued five restaurants in Meridian for racial discrimination. She was fired from her job and could not find other work. Crosses were burned on her lawn, and a firebomb intended for her family’s house destroyed that of a neighbor. She moved to New York City
, finding work at a nursing home. After 30 years, she retired and moved to New Jersey
.
In 2005 she testified for the State of Mississippi in the murder case against Edgar Ray Killen
, one of her son's killers. Killen was cleared of murder by the jury, but convicted of manslaughter
and given a 60 years sentence, which he is serving.
, who was killed with Chaney, also died.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
baker
Baker
A baker is someone who bakes and sells bread, Cakes and similar foods may also be produced, as the traditional boundaries between what is produced by a baker as opposed to a pastry chef have blurred in recent decades...
turned civil rights activist after her son James Chaney
James Chaney
James Earl "J.E." Chaney , from Meridian, Mississippi, was one of three American civil rights workers who were murdered during Freedom Summer by members of the Ku Klux Klan near Philadelphia...
was murdered by the Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
during the 1964 Freedom Summer
Freedom Summer
Freedom Summer was a campaign in the United States launched in June 1964 to attempt to register as many African American voters as possible in Mississippi which had historically excluded most blacks from voting...
rides in Mississippi.
After her son’s murder, Mrs. Chaney sued five restaurants in Meridian for racial discrimination. She was fired from her job and could not find other work. Crosses were burned on her lawn, and a firebomb intended for her family’s house destroyed that of a neighbor. She moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, finding work at a nursing home. After 30 years, she retired and moved to New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
.
In 2005 she testified for the State of Mississippi in the murder case against Edgar Ray Killen
Edgar Ray Killen
Edgar Ray "Preacher" Killen is a former Ku Klux Klan organizer who conspired in the murders of three civil rights activists—James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner—in 1964....
, one of her son's killers. Killen was cleared of murder by the jury, but convicted of manslaughter
Manslaughter
Manslaughter is a legal term for the killing of a human being, in a manner considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is said to have first been made by the Ancient Athenian lawmaker Dracon in the 7th century BC.The law generally differentiates...
and given a 60 years sentence, which he is serving.
Death
Fannie Chaney died in Willingboro, New Jersey in May 2007 of undisclosed causes, aged 84. Three months later, Carolyn Goodman, the mother of Andrew GoodmanAndrew Goodman
Andrew Goodman was one of three American civil rights activists murdered near Philadelphia, Mississippi, during Freedom Summer in 1964 by members of the Ku Klux Klan.-Early life and education:...
, who was killed with Chaney, also died.