James Zwerg
Encyclopedia
James Zwerg is an American former minister who became famous for his involvement with the freedom riders in the early 1960s.
. He lived in an all-white community with his mother, father, and older brother Charles. He was very involved in school and took part in the student post in high school
.
Zwerg was also very active in the Christian church
, in which he attended services regularly. Through the church, his parents taught him many morals and beliefs, one of which regarded civil equality
. He was taught that all men are created equal, no matter what color they are.
, where he studied sociology
. He developed an interest in civil rights from his interactions with his roommate Robert Carter, who was an African-American from Alabama
.
Zwerg recalls: “ I witnessed prejudice
against him… we would go to a lunch counter or cafeteria and people would get up and leave the table. I had pledged a particular fraternity and then found out that he was not allowed in the fraternity house. I decided that his friendship was more important than that particular fraternity, so I depledged.” Interactions provoked him to participate in an exchange program where he would go to Nashville’s
Fisk University
, a predominantly black school in Tennessee
where he would be in the minority. At Fisk, Zwerg met John Lewis, who was active in the Civil Rights movement, and was immediately impressed with the way Lewis handled himself and his commitment to the movement. Lewis was a member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee
(SNCC), a student organized Civil Rights activist group focused on nonviolent direct action. In 1960, Zwerg joined the SNCC. Zwerg’s first test was to buy two movie tickets and to try to walk in with a black man. When trying to enter the theatre, Zwerg was hit with a monkey wrench
and knocked out cold.
(CORE) began to organize Freedom Rides. The first Freedom Ride departed from Washington, D.C.
and involved thirteen black and white riders who rode into the South challenging white only
lunch counters and restaurants. When they reached Anniston
one of the buses was ambushed and attacked. Meanwhile, at a SNCC meeting in Tennessee, Lewis, Zwerg, and eleven other volunteers decided they would be the reinforcements. Zwerg was the only white male in the group. Zwerg was scared for his life, but he never had second thoughts. He recalled, "My faith was never so strong as during that time. I knew I was doing what I should be doing."
The group traveled by bus to Birmingham
, where Zwerg was first arrested for not moving to the back of the bus with his black seating companion. Three days later, the riders regrouped and headed to Montgomery
. At first the terminal was quiet and eerie, but it turned into an ambush
. The riders were attacked from all directions. Zwerg’s suitcase was grabbed and smashed into his face until he hit the ground, where others beat him repeatedly. One man stopped and clamped Zwerg’s head between his knees so others could beat him. The attackers knocked his teeth out and showed no signs of stopping, until a black man stepped in and ultimately saved his life. Zwerg recalls: "There was nothing particularly heroic in what I did. If you want to talk about heroism, consider the black man who probably saved my life. This man in coveralls, just off of work, happened to walk by as my beating was going on and said 'Stop beating that kid. If you want to beat someone, beat me.' And they did. He was still unconscious when I left the hospital. I don't know if he lived or died."
Zwerg was denied prompt medical attention because there were no white ambulances available. He remained unconscious for 2 days and stayed in the hospital for 5 days. Jim Zwerg’s post-riot photos were published in many newspapers and magazines across the country and showed America of his suffering. After his beating, Zwerg claimed he had had an incredible religious experience and God helped him not fight back.
Zwerg claimed he was at peace, a peace he never again felt in his life. In a famous moving speech from in his hospital bedroom, Zwerg stated, "Segregation must be stopped. It must be broken down. Those of us on the Freedom Ride will continue.... We're dedicated to this, we'll take hitting, we'll take beating. We're willing to accept death. But we're going to keep coming until we can ride from anywhere in the South to any place else in the South without anybody making any comments, just as American citizens."
presented Zwerg with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference
Freedom Award. After a conversation with King, Zwerg decided to join Garrett Theological Seminary. Zwerg later changed his career several times (ultimately retiring in 1999), but has commented that his work in the ministry will always be with him. Zwerg has a lifetime commitment to nonviolence
. Zwerg currently lives in Arizona
, where he has three children.
Early life
James Zwerg was born November 28, 1939 in Appleton, WisconsinAppleton, Wisconsin
Appleton is a city in Outagamie, Calumet, and Winnebago Counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is situated on the Fox River, 30 miles southwest of Green Bay and 100 miles north of Milwaukee. Appleton is the county seat of Outagamie County. The population was 78,086 at the 2010 census...
. He lived in an all-white community with his mother, father, and older brother Charles. He was very involved in school and took part in the student post in high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
.
Zwerg was also very active in the Christian church
Christian Church
The Christian Church is the assembly or association of followers of Jesus Christ. The Greek term ἐκκλησία that in its appearances in the New Testament is usually translated as "church" basically means "assembly"...
, in which he attended services regularly. Through the church, his parents taught him many morals and beliefs, one of which regarded civil equality
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
. He was taught that all men are created equal, no matter what color they are.
College and SNCC
Jim Zwerg attended Beloit CollegeBeloit College
Beloit College is a liberal arts college in Beloit, Wisconsin, USA. It is a member of the Associated Colleges of the Midwest, and has an enrollment of roughly 1,300 undergraduate students. Beloit is the oldest continuously operated college in Wisconsin, and has the oldest building of any college...
, where he studied sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
. He developed an interest in civil rights from his interactions with his roommate Robert Carter, who was an African-American from Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
.
Zwerg recalls: “ I witnessed prejudice
Prejudice
Prejudice is making a judgment or assumption about someone or something before having enough knowledge to be able to do so with guaranteed accuracy, or "judging a book by its cover"...
against him… we would go to a lunch counter or cafeteria and people would get up and leave the table. I had pledged a particular fraternity and then found out that he was not allowed in the fraternity house. I decided that his friendship was more important than that particular fraternity, so I depledged.” Interactions provoked him to participate in an exchange program where he would go to Nashville’s
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
Fisk University
Fisk University
Fisk University is an historically black university founded in 1866 in Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. The world-famous Fisk Jubilee Singers started as a group of students who performed to earn enough money to save the school at a critical time of financial shortages. They toured to raise funds to...
, a predominantly black school in Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
where he would be in the minority. At Fisk, Zwerg met John Lewis, who was active in the Civil Rights movement, and was immediately impressed with the way Lewis handled himself and his commitment to the movement. Lewis was a member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee
Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee
The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee ' was one of the principal organizations of the American Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s. It emerged from a series of student meetings led by Ella Baker held at Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina in April 1960...
(SNCC), a student organized Civil Rights activist group focused on nonviolent direct action. In 1960, Zwerg joined the SNCC. Zwerg’s first test was to buy two movie tickets and to try to walk in with a black man. When trying to enter the theatre, Zwerg was hit with a monkey wrench
Monkey wrench
The monkey wrench is an adjustable wrench, a later American development of eighteenth century English coach wrenches. It was popular in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries but is now used only for heavier tasks, having been mostly replaced by the lighter and sleeker shifting adjustable or...
and knocked out cold.
The Freedom Rides
As segregation in the South continued in 1961, the Congress of Racial EqualityCongress of Racial Equality
The Congress of Racial Equality or CORE was a U.S. civil rights organization that originally played a pivotal role for African-Americans in the Civil Rights Movement...
(CORE) began to organize Freedom Rides. The first Freedom Ride departed from Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
and involved thirteen black and white riders who rode into the South challenging white only
Racial segregation in the United States
Racial segregation in the United States, as a general term, included the racial segregation or hypersegregation of facilities, services, and opportunities such as housing, medical care, education, employment, and transportation along racial lines...
lunch counters and restaurants. When they reached Anniston
Anniston, Alabama
Anniston is a city in Calhoun County in the state of Alabama, United States.As of the 2000 census, the population of the city is 24,276. According to the 2005 U.S. Census estimates, the city had a population of 23,741...
one of the buses was ambushed and attacked. Meanwhile, at a SNCC meeting in Tennessee, Lewis, Zwerg, and eleven other volunteers decided they would be the reinforcements. Zwerg was the only white male in the group. Zwerg was scared for his life, but he never had second thoughts. He recalled, "My faith was never so strong as during that time. I knew I was doing what I should be doing."
The group traveled by bus to Birmingham
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
, where Zwerg was first arrested for not moving to the back of the bus with his black seating companion. Three days later, the riders regrouped and headed to Montgomery
Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery is the capital of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is the county seat of Montgomery County. It is located on the Alabama River southeast of the center of the state, in the Gulf Coastal Plain. As of the 2010 census, Montgomery had a population of 205,764 making it the second-largest city...
. At first the terminal was quiet and eerie, but it turned into an ambush
Ambush
An ambush is a long-established military tactic, in which the aggressors take advantage of concealment and the element of surprise to attack an unsuspecting enemy from concealed positions, such as among dense underbrush or behind hilltops...
. The riders were attacked from all directions. Zwerg’s suitcase was grabbed and smashed into his face until he hit the ground, where others beat him repeatedly. One man stopped and clamped Zwerg’s head between his knees so others could beat him. The attackers knocked his teeth out and showed no signs of stopping, until a black man stepped in and ultimately saved his life. Zwerg recalls: "There was nothing particularly heroic in what I did. If you want to talk about heroism, consider the black man who probably saved my life. This man in coveralls, just off of work, happened to walk by as my beating was going on and said 'Stop beating that kid. If you want to beat someone, beat me.' And they did. He was still unconscious when I left the hospital. I don't know if he lived or died."
Zwerg was denied prompt medical attention because there were no white ambulances available. He remained unconscious for 2 days and stayed in the hospital for 5 days. Jim Zwerg’s post-riot photos were published in many newspapers and magazines across the country and showed America of his suffering. After his beating, Zwerg claimed he had had an incredible religious experience and God helped him not fight back.
Zwerg claimed he was at peace, a peace he never again felt in his life. In a famous moving speech from in his hospital bedroom, Zwerg stated, "Segregation must be stopped. It must be broken down. Those of us on the Freedom Ride will continue.... We're dedicated to this, we'll take hitting, we'll take beating. We're willing to accept death. But we're going to keep coming until we can ride from anywhere in the South to any place else in the South without anybody making any comments, just as American citizens."
Post Freedom Rides
Later in 1961, Martin Luther KingMartin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the...
presented Zwerg with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference
Southern Christian Leadership Conference
The Southern Christian Leadership Conference is an African-American civil rights organization. SCLC was closely associated with its first president, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr...
Freedom Award. After a conversation with King, Zwerg decided to join Garrett Theological Seminary. Zwerg later changed his career several times (ultimately retiring in 1999), but has commented that his work in the ministry will always be with him. Zwerg has a lifetime commitment to nonviolence
Nonviolence
Nonviolence has two meanings. It can refer, first, to a general philosophy of abstention from violence because of moral or religious principle It can refer to the behaviour of people using nonviolent action Nonviolence has two (closely related) meanings. (1) It can refer, first, to a general...
. Zwerg currently lives in Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, where he has three children.