New Westchester Bridge Named For Civil Rights Martyrs

PELHAM, NY — The new 3rd Street Bridge between Pelham and Mount Vernon has been renamed the "Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. - Michael Henry Schwerner Memorial Bridge."

Schwerner, who grew up in Pelham and attended Pelham Memorial School, was killed by a group of men in 1964 because of his civil rights work for the Congress of Racial Equality. Schwerner and his wife Rita were part of CORE's Freedom Summer project. He had said of his purpose, "Nowhere in the world is the idea of white supremacy more firmly entrenched, or more cancerous, than in Mississippi."

According to CORE, Schwerner was hated and feared (that summer, white supremacists burned 20 black churches in Mississippi, including Mount Zion Baptist Church In Neshoba County, where Schwerner had asked permission to set up a freedom school). Ku Klux Klan Imperial Wizard Sam Bowers ordered his execution. "Because they were with Schwerner, and would know too much if they were not killed, James Chaney and Andy Goodman also had to die."

June 21, the three were set up by Deputy Sheriff Cecil Price for an alleged traffic violation and taken to jail in Philadelphia, refusing to let them call their office, which soon began trying to find them, calling jails all over the region. Minnie Herring, the jailer’s wife, claimed there was no phone call on June 21, but CORE records show a call to the Philadelphia jail around 5:30 p.m. The three were released that night and disappeared on their way back.

Notified the next day, the Department of Justice requested the FBI investigate. On June 23, the FBI found their blue station wagon, burnt out and still smoldering.

The disappearances and the investigation horrified the nation. During the search, Rita Schwerner told the press, "The slaying of a Negro in Mississippi is not news. It is only because my husband and Andrew Goodman were white that the national alarm has been sounded."

It wasn't until Aug. 4 that investigators found their bodies, buried 14 feet below an earthen dam on a local farm.

According to the FBI, "following years of court battles, seven of the 18 defendants were found guilty— including Deputy Sheriff Price — but none on murder charges. One major conspirator, Edgar Ray Killen, went free after a lone juror couldn’t bring herself to convict a Baptist preacher."

Dr. King was murdered four years later. He had visited Mount Vernon in 1959 and addressed Grace Baptist Church. He organized, assisted, or led numerous protests and movements advocating for social justice. He led the Poor People's Campaign to combat economic inequality and was protesting the Vietnam War at the time of his assassination.

"I am pleased to have sponsored the legislation to name the newly renovated bridge connecting the city of Mount Vernon and the town of Pelham as the Martin Luther King, Jr. Michael Schwerner Memorial Bridge," Assembly Member J. Gary Pretlow said.

The new East Third Street Bridge replaced the former bridge built in 1927. It was completed in 2019, and at the time Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who announced the new name Wednesday, said "New York is leading the nation by investing in and rebuilding crucial infrastructure."

"Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Michael Henry Schwarmer were civil rights advocates, fighting for desegregation, voting rights, and racial equity for Black and Brown Americans. Both lost their lives working towards creating a world based on equity and fairness," State Senator Jamaal T. Bailey said. "Memorializing the legacy of these men is a privilege. Renaming the '3rd Street Bridge' to the 'Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. - Michael Henry Schwerner Memorial Bridge' is also important to the communities that are served by this bridge. Its renaming will be a reminder of sacrifice and how far we still have to go to live out the dream."

MORE READING:

• Chaney, Goodman & Schwerner - Congress of Racial Equality
• Mississippi Burning- FBI Famous Cases
• Murder in Mississippi