Mar. 28, 1962 - A program to increase Negro voter registration throughout the South was announced in Atlanta today. Major civil rights organizations have agreed to take part in the project. It will continue for at least two years and will be financed by initial foundation grants totaling $325,000. Among the organizations schedule to participate are the Congress of Racial Equality, the NAACP, the National Urban League, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. The problem faced by the program is reflected in statistics compiled by the Federal Civil Rights Commission. These indicated that 60% of the South’s white persons of voting age are registered but only 30% of its Negroes. The new drive is expected to have its major impact in Virginia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas.
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