John Avery Dittmer, In Memory

Historian John Avery Dittmer (October 30, 1939 – July 19, 2024) was the author of key texts on SNCC and grassroots organizing in Mississippi, including Local People: The Struggle for Civil Rights in Mississippi and The Good Doctors: The Medical Committee for Human Rights and the Struggle for Social Justice in Health Care. Local People received the Bancroft Prize, the McLemore Prize, and Lillian Smith Book Award. The New York Times named it one of the “notable books of 1994” in the history category.

Ditter taught in the history departments at Tougaloo College, Brown University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and DePauw University. He received fellowships from the Ford Foundation (2005–07), National Humanities Center (2001–02), National Endowment for the Humanities (2000–01), Center for the Study of Civil Rights (1988–89) and the American Council of Learned Societies (1983–84). Dittmer received an honorary degree from Tougaloo College at its 137th Commencement in 2006.

The Margaret Walker Center shared on word of his passing,

John Dittmer’s legacy will continue to inspire us thanks to his profound dedication to spreading knowledge about the Civil Rights Movement and chronicling the bravery and hard work of local Mississippi activists.