Detroit (FREEP) In 1961, Hardy, then a Tennessee State University student, went to Tylertown, Miss., in Walthall County to help teach black people to read and write, and teach them about the U.S. Constitution so they could do what was then a very dangerous thing: register to vote.

Hardy, 70, a retired Detroit teacher, was part of a movement that attracted young people — both black and white — to America’s Deep South.

It was 50 years ago — the summer of 1961.

The registrar refused to register them. He cursed Hardy and ordered him out of his office. As Hardy was leaving, the registrar grabbed a pistol and struck Hardy so hard that he stumbled.

When Hardy tried to explain to the local sheriff what happened, the sheriff threatened to beat Hardy “within an inch of his life,” then hauled Hardy off to jail. He was charged with disturbing the peace and “bringing an uprising among the people.”

A judge released him the next morning. While awaiting arraignment, several townspeople made it clear that Hardy ought to beat it out of town. Black residents, fearing for Hardy’s life, smuggled him out of Walthall County; charges against him were still pending.

“Freedom isn’t free,” Hardy said. “Civil rights can’t be taken for granted.”

The movement succeeded because of people like Hardy — the civil rights heroes in our midst.