Today, May 7, 2025, it is twelve years since Willie Manning came close to being killed by the State of Mississippi. We remember the horror of that time, and the agony for his relatives of not knowing if Willie would survive the day.

May 7, 2025 is memorable to Willie for an additional reason: it marks the 70^th anniversary of the murder of Rev. George W. Lee in 1955. Lee was an African American who campaigned to encourage Black people in his local Mississippi community to register to vote. He was told to remove his name from voting rolls; when he refused, he received countless threats against his life. He ignored these. Late on May 7, 1955, Lee was gunned down while driving his car. The local sheriff claimed that the cause of death was a traffic accident, and that buckshot pellets in Lee’s face were dental fillings torn out by the impact. No one was brought to justice for this appalling murder.

Lee was not the only African American man killed in 1955 while promoting Black voting rights in Mississippi. Lamar Smith met a similar fate; and there were other victims whose names have been forgotten. Among these was Willie’s maternal grandfather, Levi Manning, who was similarly active in helping Black people to register to vote.

Willie learnt from his mother and grandmother that members of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) – or white supremacists – arrived at Levi Manning’s house in Moorhead when he was not at home, and found out his whereabouts. Soon afterwards he was dead. Nobody was charged for the crime. Willie’s family was hugely impacted by the death: his grandmother had to work in the cotton fields to scrape a living for herself and her children.

Mississippi continues to be troubled by the KKK. As the World Population Report states,
“[T]he exact number of Klan members remains elusive, as the organization operates clandestinely and membership is often kept confidential. Despite this secrecy, reports of Klan activity persist in various states, indicating the ongoing influence of this hate group. States such as Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee have witnessed a relatively higher concentration of KKK activity…”

On May 7, with its dual anniversaries, it seems reasonable to wonder if KKK influence has impacted the outcome of Willie’s case in any way. Perhaps the Mississippi Supreme Court should add this possibility to its awareness of discrimination in his case. At any rate, as Willie awaits the court’s decision, we trust he will be granted what his grandfather was not: justice.

And we are certain that Levi would have been extremely proud of his kind, patient, courageous grandson – Willie Manning.

You can watch a support video for Willie Manning here.