Mendy Samstein, who left graduate school to put himself in the forefront of the fight for black voting rights in Mississippi, enduring bombings and beatings in the crucial summer of 1964, died yesterday at his home in New Lisbon, N.Y. He was 68.
The cause was carcinoid cancer, his wife, Nancy Cooper, said.
Mr. Samstein abandoned his pursuit of a doctorate in history to join the historic turmoil in the South and became known as an adept organizer and pull-no-punches speaker. He helped recruit and deploy the more than 800 college students, mainly white, who traveled from many states to rural Mississippi towns, mainly black, as part of the Mississippi Summer Project in 1964.
Mr. Samstein was one of nine committee workers in a house in McComb, Miss., on July 8, 1964, when three blasts ripped the house apart.
I curse this country every day of my life because it made me hate it, and I never wanted to,” he said in an interview with Jack Newfield in “A Prophetic Minority” (1966).
In addition to his wife, Mr. Samstein is survived by his sons, Ivan, of Chicago, and Ben, of Manhattan; and a granddaughter.
Article Courtesy : NY Times
