Delta Ministry
Encyclopedia
The Delta Ministry played a crucial role in the African-American Civil Rights Movement (1955–1968) in Mississippi. It was begun in September, 1964, by the National Council of Churches
as a civil rights project operating in Mississippi
to support the southern black freedom struggle. It became Mississippi's largest civil rights group and provided numerous services and programs for area blacks through the 1980s. It had "a significant impact on the black struggle for equality in Mississippi."
The DM sought to provide "relief, education and training, self-help initiatives, economic and community development, and the fostering of indigenous leadership and leadership skills" in the poorest areas of the state. It operated primarily in the Delta
but also in Hattiesburg
(where it supported Raylawni Branch
) and McComb
.
It successfully pressured state and federal agencies to distribute relief funds to the state's poorest communities, and itself distributed tons of food and clothing to local blacks. It also supervised the establishment of federally funded health clinics in Mound Bayou and Greenville, and registered some 70,000 blacks to vote.
The Ministry was always poorly funded for its ambitions plans. Also, there was often poor and unrealistic planning and unrealistic expectations of the poor and uneducated blacks they were trying to help.
These were causes of the failure of the ambitious Freedom City commune project of 94 residents on 400 acres (1.6 km²) near Greenville in 1966 which was planned to be an alternative to the out-migration of displaced black field hands, and to teach economic self-sufficiency and political independence.
Another problem was tensions with the black middle class (who had less to gain and more to lose) and their churches. These offered little support to Ministry activities, and often criticized their efforts as too radical. There were also tensions with activists from the middle classes affiliated with the NAACP
with its conservative, gradualist approach to social change.
From the late 1960s onward it was internal problems, rather than white resistance, that impaired the Delta Ministry’s efforts. Under Owen Brooks, a black northerner who the NCC appointed DM director in 1967, the group split over philosophical and personality issues into two separate units. Brooks wanted broad, statewide goals while the concerned staff wanted to promote projects and leaders on the local level. After 1977, the DM existed as a one-man organization under Brooks.
National Council of Churches
The National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA is an ecumenical partnership of 37 Christian faith groups in the United States. Its member denominations, churches, conventions, and archdioceses include Mainline Protestant, Orthodox, African American, Evangelical, and historic peace...
as a civil rights project operating in Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
The DM sought to provide "relief, education and training, self-help initiatives, economic and community development, and the fostering of indigenous leadership and leadership skills" in the poorest areas of the state. It operated primarily in the Delta
River delta
A delta is a landform that is formed at the mouth of a river where that river flows into an ocean, sea, estuary, lake, reservoir, flat arid area, or another river. Deltas are formed from the deposition of the sediment carried by the river as the flow leaves the mouth of the river...
but also in Hattiesburg
Hattiesburg, Mississippi
Hattiesburg is a city in Forrest County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 44,779 at the 2000 census . It is the county seat of Forrest County...
(where it supported Raylawni Branch
Raylawni Branch
Mrs. Raylawni Branch is a black Mississippi pioneer of the African-American Civil Rights Movement ,professional nursing educator and US Air Force Reserve officer...
) and McComb
McComb, Mississippi
McComb is a city in Pike County, Mississippi, United States, about south of Jackson. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 13,644. It is the principal city of the McComb, Mississippi, Micropolitan Statistical Area...
.
It successfully pressured state and federal agencies to distribute relief funds to the state's poorest communities, and itself distributed tons of food and clothing to local blacks. It also supervised the establishment of federally funded health clinics in Mound Bayou and Greenville, and registered some 70,000 blacks to vote.
The Ministry was always poorly funded for its ambitions plans. Also, there was often poor and unrealistic planning and unrealistic expectations of the poor and uneducated blacks they were trying to help.
Another problem was tensions with the black middle class (who had less to gain and more to lose) and their churches. These offered little support to Ministry activities, and often criticized their efforts as too radical. There were also tensions with activists from the middle classes affiliated with the NAACP
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, usually abbreviated as NAACP, is an African-American civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909. Its mission is "to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to...
with its conservative, gradualist approach to social change.
From the late 1960s onward it was internal problems, rather than white resistance, that impaired the Delta Ministry’s efforts. Under Owen Brooks, a black northerner who the NCC appointed DM director in 1967, the group split over philosophical and personality issues into two separate units. Brooks wanted broad, statewide goals while the concerned staff wanted to promote projects and leaders on the local level. After 1977, the DM existed as a one-man organization under Brooks.