Civil Rights Activities
Mars was one of the few whites in Neshoba County, Mississippi who supported the civil rights movement. She helped to register black voters. Mars lived in Philadelphia, Mississippi when three civil rights activists James Chaney, Michael Schwerner and Andrew Goodman were beaten and shot by members of the Ku Klux Klan near Philadelphia.
She was one of the few inhabitants to co-operate with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Edgar Ray Killen and others faced trial for violating the civil rights of the men in 1967 but the jury was deadlocked. Seven men were convicted in relation to the incident but no-one served more than six years. This incident was later the subject of the film Mississippi Burning, which was released in 1988. Frances McDormand's character was based on Mars. Mars' activities led to the Ku Klux Klan burning down her barn in an effort to intimidate her.
Read more about this topic: Florence Mars
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