A plaque honoring voter registration activist Michael “Mickey” Schwerner of Pelham who was murdered in Mississippi by the Ku Klux Klan in 1964 was an opportunity not only to remember a local hero but to inspire action by people who care about issues of today. "Today, we stand here together to honor Schewerner’s bravery, sacrifice, and memory, " said Pelham Memorial High School senior Jamie Burke. "I want everyone present to remember that he spent his childhood right here in Pelham like I have and so many others here. It takes a certain type of person to fight against the majority and decide to dedicate their time to helping others and rally for what’s right. We all have a Michael Schwerner inside us full of courage, intelligence, valor, and compassion.” Nevan Malwana, also a PMHS senior who worked with Jamie on the project to locate the Schwerner plaque, said: "Today marks 57 years since Michael Schwerner was murdered by the KKK. In those 57 years, we as a country have made great strides to work toward the goal Schwerner always imagined. But our work is not done yet. As we honor Michael Schwerner today, it is not as a mark of complacency to where his sacrifice has brought us, but rather, a point to draw courage from, inspiration from, and understand that the capability to have the same impact, influence, and progress that Mickey fought for lives within each and every one of us today.” The most stirring speech at the dedication was by Pelham Village Mayor Chance Mullen, who recounted the days leading up to the murder of Schwerner along with two other civil rights workers— Andrew Goodman and James Chaney. He recalled that a Black church where Klansmen expected “Jew Boy” (a reference to Schwerner; he was also called “Goatee”) to be holding a meeting was burned to the ground even when they did not find him there. Schwerner was in Ohio training new recruits for Mississippi voter registration work. When Schwerner, Goodman and Chaney returned to Mississippi they were arrested, then released and then shot to death by Klansmen. Concluding the recounting, Mayor Mullin said the next Mickey Schwerner may be in our midst in Pelham.
