The Demographics of the 1964 Team Members:

• 32 were white, 16 were black
• 32 were Protestant, 8 were Jewish, 6 were Catholic, 2 were undesignated
• 40 held Bachelor of Arts degrees
• 9 had earned Master of Arts degrees
• 1 had earned a Bachelor of Laws and Letters degree
• 1 had earned a Doctor of Education degree
• 4 had earned Doctor of Philosophy degrees
• 28 were employed at the time. Of those:
  • 8 were employed in school systems
  • 8 were employed in mass media
  • 5 were members of executive staffs
  • 2 worked in their own businesses
  • 2 served as lecturers
  • 1 worked in a state penal system
• 15 served on state and local Human Civil Rights Commissions;
• 9 served on school boards
• 8 served on social welfare boards
• 3 served on city planning boards

The memberships of these team members included:

• Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA)
• American Association of University Women (AAUW)
• American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
• America Red Cross
• Americans for Democratic Action
• Business and Professional Women’s Club
• Congress of Racial Equality (CORE)
• Delta Sigma Theta
• Girl Scouts of America
• League of Women Voters
• Medical and Nursing Associations
• National Association for Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
• National Council of Catholic Women (NCCW)
• National Council of Christians and Jews
• National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW)
• National Council of Negro Women (NCNW)
• National Urban League
• Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)
• Untied Nations Association
• Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA)

1964 WIMS Team Members

From “Wednesdays in Mississippi 1964-1965 Final Report”

Team # 1 – New York/Hattiesburg

Jean Benjamin
Wife of the President of United Artists Corporation

Polly Cowan
Project Coordinator, Wednesdays in Mississippi

Dorothy Height
National President of the National Council of Negro Women

Marian Logan
Wife of Chairman of the Board, of HARYOU-ACT

Ann McGlinchy
History Teacher (retired)

Team #2 – Boston Area/Canton

Ruth Batson
Commissioner, Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination

Sister Catherine John
Teacher

Beryl Morris
Lieutenant, State Dept. of Correction, Bedford Prison for Women

Geraldine Kohlenberg
Teacher, Shady Hill School

Alice Ryerson
Psychologist, Shady Hill School

Laya Wiesner
Wife of Dean of Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Pearl Willen
National President, National Council of Jewish Women

Ilza Williams
Assistant Principal, Clara Barton School

Team #3 – Washington Area/Meridian

Flossie Dedmond
Associate Professor of English, Coppin State College

Wilhelmina Hetzel
Wife of Director of U.S. Employment Service, District of Columbia

Mary Cushing Niles
Author, Lecturer, Management Consultant

Flaxie Pinkett
President, John R. Pinkett, Inc., Real Estate and Insurance Firm

Justine Randers Pehrson
Medical Historian and Technical Translator

Margaret Roach
Executive Assistant, National Council of Catholic Women

Dr. Geraldine P. Woods
National President, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority

Team #4 Minneapolis Area/Vicksburg

Virginia Bourne
National Board Member, YWCA, vice-president of Southern Region

Barbara Cunningham
Chairman, Brooklyn Center Human Relations Committee

Josie Johnson
Secretary, Mayor’s Commission on Civil Rights

Mary Kyle
Reporter, Twin City Observer

Maxine Nathanson
National Board Member, National Council of Jewish Women

Team #5 – New York/Ruleville

Marie Barksdale
Executive Director, Delta Sigma Theta

Lilace Reid Barnes
Former President of National Board, YWCA

Marjorie Dammann
President, Jewish Family Service of New York

Frances Haight
President, International Social Service, Geneva, Switzerland

Ethel Hasserodt
Executive Director, Passaic, New Jersey, YWCA

Claudia Heckscher
Wife of Director of Twentieth Century Fund

Florynce Kennedy
Attorney at Law

Trude Lash,
Executive Director, Citizens Committee for Children of New York

Team #6 – Chicago Area/Canton

Jean Davis
President, Area Girl Scout Council

Miriam Davis
Wife of Congregational Minister

Narcissa King
President, Interracial Women’s Board, Chicago Urban League

Lucy Montgomery
Women’s Board Member, University of Chicago

Henrietta Moore
Secretary, Human Relations Committee

Arnetta Wallace
National Board Member, National Council of Negro Women

Sylvia Weinberg
Member, National Council of Jewish Women, Chicago YWCA

Team #7 – New Jersey/Hattiesburg

 Jane Gardner
Wife of Lawyer Active in Political Affairs

Priscilla Hunt
Vice President, Cambridge League of Women voters

Dr. Hannah Levin
Associate Professor of Psychology, Rutgers University

Helen Meyner
Wife of Former Governor of New Jersey

Ruth Minor
Special Consultant in guidance and curriculum, Roselle Public Schools

Olive Noble
Lecturer on Archeology and Art

Edith Savage
Member, City of Trenton Planning Board