Vernon Ferdinand Dahmer Sr. was not a national celebrity of the Civil Rights Movement, but his work struck at the very heart of white supremacy in Mississippi. At a time when Black political participation was met with terror, Dahmer made voter registration his mission. For that, he was targeted and killed by the Ku Klux Klan.
Vernon Dahmer was born on March 10, 1908, in Forrest County, Mississippi, and raised in the Kelly Settlement near Hattiesburg. He was light skinned due to his mixed ancestry, his father was white and his mother was of mixed Black and white descent.
Despite being able to pass as white, Dahmer identified as Black and lived openly within the Black community during the height of Jim Crow segregation, enduring the same restrictions, dangers, and discrimination faced by other Black residents of the state during Jim Crow.
Over the years, Dahmer became a successful businessman. He owned a grocery store, a lumber business, a farm, and rental properties. His grocery store, in particular, became a central gathering place for the local Black community. Dahmer was also deeply involved in church life and was widely respected for his generosity and leadership. His economic independence allowed him to support civil rights efforts in ways many others could not safely do.
Dahmer’s most consequential work came through his involvement with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored Persons (NAACP). He served two terms as president of the Forrest County NAACP, where he focused on one goal above all others: getting Black Mississippians registered to vote.
Even after the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, registering to vote in Mississippi remained dangerous for Black citizens. Intimidation, economic retaliation, and violence were still common. Dahmer responded by turning his own business into a center of resistance. He kept voter registration materials in his grocery store so people could sign up without having to expose themselves publicly.
Dahmer also challenged voter suppression through the courts. In 1949, he was denied the right to register by Luther Cox, the white segregationist who controlled voter registration in Forrest County. Cox required Black applicants to answer absurd questions, including how many bubbles were in a bar of soap. In 1950, Dahmer and fourteen other Black leaders filed a lawsuit against Cox. Dahmer later testified in court, helping to establish a clear pattern of racial discrimination in voting.
He also openly offered to help people pay poll taxes, which were still used to suppress Black voters. Dahmer summarized his philosophy in a line that became closely associated with him: “If you don’t vote, you don’t count.”
This work made him a known figure not only within the Black community, but also among white supremacist groups who viewed Black voting as a direct threat to their power.
By early 1966, the Dahmer family had been receiving death threats for more than a year. They slept in shifts, kept a shotgun nearby, and kept their curtains tightly drawn at night.
On January 10, 1966, members of the White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan attacked the Dahmer home. Gasoline filled jugs were thrown through the windows, shotgun blasts rang out, and the house quickly caught fire. As Ellie Dahmer gathered the children, Vernon Dahmer returned fire from inside the burning house to distract the attackers and give his family time to escape.
The family home, grocery store, and car were destroyed. Dahmer suffered severe burns and smoke inhalation during the attack. He was taken to the hospital but died later that day. He was 57 years old.
In the aftermath, federal authorities indicted multiple Klansmen involved in the attack on Vernon Dahmer. Thirteen men were brought to trial, and four were convicted, one for arson and three for murder. Some served only part of their sentences, while others were released early, highlighting the challenges of prosecuting racially motivated crimes in Mississippi during that era.
The man believed to have orchestrated the attack, Ku Klux Klan leader Sam Bowers, avoided conviction for decades, repeatedly delaying justice through multiple trials. It was not until 1998, more than thirty years after Dahmer’s murder, that Bowers was finally convicted and sentenced to life in prison for his role in the crime.
Today, Vernon Dahmer’s name stands as a symbol of courage and determination, closely tied to the fight for the right to vote. Streets, parks, and public buildings in Hattiesburg honor his memory.
In 2016, the state of Mississippi officially designated January 10 as Vernon Dahmer Day, and in 2020, a bronze statue was unveiled at the Forrest County Courthouse. His family continues to be active in the community, ensuring that his work and sacrifice for civil rights are never forgotten.
Sources:
Jan. 10, 1966: Voting Rights Activist Vernon Dahmer Murdered
https://www.visithburg.org/media/press-releases/civil-rights-leader-vernon-f-dahmer-sr-statue-officially-dedicated-today/
https://m.jacksonfreepress.com/news/2016/jan/08/mississippi-legislature-honors-klan-victim-vernon-/
