| Vernon Ferdinand Dahmer | |
|---|---|
 Vernon Ferdinand Dahmer, Sr. |
|
| Date of birth: | March 10 1908 |
| Place of birth: | Kelly Settlement, Forrest County, Mississippi, USA |
| Date of death: | January 11 1966 (aged 57) |
| Place of death: | Hattiesburg, Mississippi, USA |
| Movement: | African-American Civil Rights Movement |
Vernon Ferdinand Dahmer, Sr. (March 10, 1908 - January 11, 1966) was a civil rights leader and chapter president of the Forrest County NAACP. He established a voter registration drive at his store in Hattiesburg and helped the local African-American population pay a poll tax for the right to vote. His mantra was "If you don't vote, you don't count," and those words, which he repeated on his deathbed, are now his epitaph.[1] He died from burns and smoke inhalation on January 11, 1966 after Klansmen firebombed his home the previous day. It was not until 1998 that justice was finally rendered upon Sam Bowers for his culpability in the murder. He was given a life sentence and died in prison on November 5, 2006.
Demonstration on morning of Vernon Dahmer's funeral, January 15, 1966 (Hattiesburg, MS). Charles Evers, state NAACP field secretary, shown left of flag bearer.
Notes
- ^ Vernon Dahmer's epitaph. From: findagrave.com. Retrieved November 5, 2007.
External links
- Article on Dahmer's life & death and the trial of Sam Bowers
- Mississippi faces past in Klan trial by Philip Delves Broughton in Hattiesburg. The London Telegraph (August 19, 1998). Retrieved October 23, 2007.
- Photographs of the events following Vernon Dahmer's murder. Moncrief Photograph Collection, Mississippi Department of Archives and History.
