Human Essay: God's Long Summer

 Humanity Under the Watch of God

As members of society, one of the first things we are taught is to attempt to see a situation from the point of view of another: “imagine what it would be like in their shoes.” This subtle pull to empathy seeks to engage us in dialogue with others, driving our desires to understand their backgrounds and beliefs. Society fosters many stories and perspectives, the majority of which directly influence another group, either in a dynamic of power or companionship. In God’s Long Summer, five different stories of Mississippi’s 1964 “Freedom Summer,” all with varying social, political, racial, and religious backgrounds, demonstrate the variety of humanity. From Fanny Lou Hamer, a pious civil rights activist, to Sam Bowers, a similarly religious Klu Klux Klansman, Charles Marsh weaves together the narratives of these contrasting citizens, telling a story of guidance and belief. To be human within the context of God’s Long Summer is to be driven by an ideal bigger than oneself. 

Multiple qualities are seen as the driving forces behind different individuals represented in this overarching narrative. For William Douglas Hudgins, this focal point is the concept of an isolationist church, and he devoted his life to the assumed preservation of the sanctity of his religion. From another perspective, Ed King, a white pastor, sought the integration of church spaces, fighting for his beliefs of acceptance and Christian action. Each figure depicted in this novel had a belief that served as their foundation, the majority of which were based on their interpretation of the Christian religion. These pursuits set them apart as individuals, granting humanity to each in turn. While their beliefs may not be seen as all-encompassing or even generally positive, each statement of purpose grants that person individuality. 

The second chapter of this book is devoted to Sam Bowers, detailing his life and rise to notoriety as the Imperial Wizard of the Klu Klux Klan of Mississippi. Bowers led many egregious acts of violence, all under his beliefs in religion. Throughout his chapter, Bowers detailed multiple instances of spiritual communication that he felt guided by throughout his righteous journey. At a point within his chapter, Bowers chronicled the events following an unfulfilled suicide attempt, where he resolved that “[his] life is no longer [his] own: it is God’s” (Marsh, 2008, p. 55). This man, whose life was defined by damage and hatred, believed in the same God that the rest of the members of this text do. 

When the Klu Klux Klan is mentioned, many people imagine the group’s signature hoods and outfits, items that define the members as part of a whole. While dehumanization can be seen in the other stories of God’s Long Summer, Sam Bowers has a life of dehumanization on both sides, from his assumed enemies to his own identity. While none of the events of his past condone his actions, Marsh explores this man’s life from an objective standpoint, not trying to sympathize, but to give the reader a deeper insight into the life of a man so influential to American history. In the case of Marsh’s chosen stories, dehumanization can be defined as reducing people to an “other,” a separate, often opposing group only defined by its separation from the viewer’s beliefs. Bowers’ story shows evidence of him dehumanizing others, as the crowd he led was a white supremacist hate group. However, on a less evident note, Bowers has been dehumanized as an individual, reduced to a number within the Klan. Marsh’s exploration of both his personal and religiopolitical identities shapes Bowers into an intriguing, while simultaneously repulsive, figure in American history.

On the topic of influence, it is evident that one of Marsh’s primary goals for this compilation of perspectives was to emphasize how stories of different natures influence the lives of those who are considered allies or enemies. On a deeper level, this means holding those with power to make statements responsible for the effects of their ideals on others. Responsibility is arguable, as some may favor an “every man for himself” approach as opposed to a community-based group of support. A character within the novel that showcases an intriguing amount of personal responsibility is Ed King, who broke away from the stereotypes of his social, racial, and religious identities by fighting for the rights of black citizens and growing into an incredibly vocal activist. King’s perspective on society shaped his personal responsibilities, at least in his own eyes. An integral part of the concept of responsibility is that one is taught the social expectations of them, in order to shape how they interpret what they are “responsible” for. Those raised in a culture with less empathetic expectations are subject to looser ideas of responsibility. No one is misguided through their own eyes, and we see within this book how different interpretations of righteous purpose lead to vastly separate conclusions.

Charles Marsh sought out these stories to communicate the events of Freedom Summer from multiple intertwined perspectives, all with different motives, but similar sources. The individuality of characters is shaped by their convictions in combination with the groups they belong to. Fanny Lou Hamer was a black woman who served as a devout and powerful activist. Sam Bowers was a white man whose beliefs in religion led him to a position of power within one of America’s most harmful extremist groups. William Douglas Hudgins was a white Baptist pastor who believed strongly in the isolation of the church. Ed King was a white activist who sought to desegregate churches, creating safe spaces for mixed-race communities to exist. Finally, Cleveland Sellers was a black political educator who set the foundations of non-violent educated power. All of these figures were guided by their paths of intent, their identities defined by their actions and how they were remembered. Marsh highlights the importance of these beliefs in his work, emphasizing the purpose and effects of events such as Freedom Summer.