Joetha Collier (September 20, 1952 – May 25, 1971) was an American high school student who was shot and killed on the night of her graduation in Drew, Mississippi, United States. The killing, which was committed by a White American against an African American, drew widespread media attention and the attention of several civil rights activists.
Collier was a black woman who was 18 years old at the time of her death. Earlier in the day, she had graduated from Drew High School, a recently integrated institution, and planned to attend Mississippi Valley State College. That evening, she was celebrating with several friends in Drew when someone in a passing vehicle shot her in the neck with a .22 caliber gun. She died before reaching the hospital. The individuals in the car—Wayne Parks, Wesley Parks, and Allan Wilkenson—were arrested early the next morning and charged with murder. In a trial later that year against Wesley (the individual who had fired the shot that killed Collier), he said that he had been drunk at the time of the shooting and had been unaware that anyone had been shot. He was ultimately found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to 20 years of imprisonment, though he was released early. Charges against the other two were dropped.
In 2022, historian Keisha N. Blain said of the event, "Her killing, and the subsequent court proceedings, did briefly galvanize civil-rights activists during the 1970s, but her story has since faded from the public imagination." Her funeral was attended by several civil rights activists, including Ralph Abernathy, Fannie Lou Hamer, and Aaron Henry, with the latter directly appealing to President Richard Nixon for federal intervention in the case. However, the Federal Bureau of Investigation did not file any federal charges. Additionally, a subsequent reopening of the file by the United States Department of Justice was closed in January 2020 by the department's Civil Rights Division without referral or prosecution.
Joetha Collier was a black woman who was born on September 20, 1952, to Gussie Mae and Jimmie Lee Collier in Starkville, Mississippi. In the early 1960s, following her father's death, she relocated with her mother and several siblings to live with her stepfather in the Mississippi Delta. By early 1971, she had seven siblings, all brothers, and lived with her family near the city limits of Ruleville, Mississippi. By that time, she was a student at Drew High School in Drew, Mississippi, a municipality of about 3,000 people in the Delta. The school had recently undergone racial desegregation, with a student body consisting of about 150 African Americans and 50 White Americans. Collier was in her final semester, where she was one of 28 African Americans in a senior class of 43 students. In high school, Collier was a multi-sport athlete, being a member of both the women's basketball team and the track team, winning an award in the latter for being the most valuable member. She intended to study physical education at Mississippi Valley State College, having received a scholarship to attend, with plans of becoming a teacher.
On May 25, 1971, Drew High School held its graduation ceremony, with Collier being recognized as an honors student. Following the event, Collier went with several friends to a nearby cafe to celebrate. At about 9:45 p.m. CDT, Collier and three friends left the cafe and walked up Union Street, which was crowded with individuals who were celebrating the end of the academic year. She was walking home. While on Union Street near the cafe, a vehicle passed by her that had three white men in it. She was shot by someone in that vehicle, with the bullet, a .22 caliber, striking her beneath her ear, in the back of her neck. She died on the sidewalk. Her killing occurred less than an hour after the conclusion of the graduation, with Collier still wearing her academic dress and carrying her high school diploma and a photograph of her graduating class. She was 18 years old.
Per The New York Times, J. D. Fleming, Drew's police chief, reported "a minor rock‐throwing incident" immediately following the shooting. The following day, protest marches were conducted by African Americans in both Drew and Ruleville, with Mayor W. O. Williford of Drew saying that there were reports of people throwing rocks at cars during the events. That day, the mayor enacted a curfew of 8 p.m., requesting assistance from the Mississippi Highway Patrol for enforcement. Speaking of the event, Williford called it "a senseless act of violence" that was "just unexplainable". Hodding Carter III, the editor of the Delta Democrat Times newspaper, said concerning the killing, "It's a moral outrage, but also a chance to prove it is an aberration and not part of an unending string of events."
According to reporting in Time, many African Americans in the state believed that Collier's killing had been racially motivated. Civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer said concerning the killing, "She was black, that was the reason she was shot down", further saying, "I believe they had watched this girl, because she was black and smart". On May 30, Edmund Muskie of the United States Senate discussed the killing during a commencement speech at Rivier College, saying,
No one knows why Miss Collier was singled out to die. There were only two things about her that most people noticed after she was murdered on Tuesday night. She was clutching her diploma in her left hand—and she was black.
On the morning of May 27, 31 protestors were arrested for marching in Ruleville's central business district. That same day, about 200 African American protestors conducted a similar march in Drew. On May 29, activist Cleve McDowell organized a meeting at a local Methodist church for African Americans in the area to voice their grievances. On May 30, Collier's funeral was held in the same auditorium that had hosted the high school's graduation ceremony. About 700 people were present in the auditorium, including white city officials, with about 1,300 people participating in the funeral ceremony. After the funeral, about 100 people traveled with the body to a local cemetery. Activist Ralph Abernathy participated in the ceremony, delivering a eulogy and, at the cemetery, he performed last rites. Other activists, including Hamer and Aaron Henry (the president of the Mississippi branch of the NAACP) also attended the services.
Federal government involvement
In a telegram sent by Henry to United States President Richard Nixon a day after the killing, he said, "There was no provocation and no words were passed. It is doubtful they knew Miss Collier. They were apparently out to kill a black, any black." Henry also noted that the killing occurred around the same time that several activists who had been working on a voter registration campaign for African Americans had been targeted with threats of violence, including bomb threats and having the tires of their vehicles slashed. Copies of the telegram were also sent to members of the United States Congress and officials in the United States Department of Justice, with Henry urging federal intervention in the state.
In response, Ron Ziegler, the White House Press Secretary, said that Nixon considered the killing a "deplorable and appalling act". Subsequently, Nixon ordered the Federal Bureau of Investigation to determine whether a federal crime had been committed, with federal agents making inquiries by May 27. Specifically, the bureau was attempting to determine whether there had been a civil rights violation that would result in the case falling under the jurisdiction of the federal government. However, on May 28, the bureau announced that they would not be filing federal charges in relation to the killing.
Several witnesses to the killing were able to identify the vehicle, and at about 2 a.m. the following day, police arrested three white men—Wayne Parks (age 25), Wesley Parks (26), and Allan Wilkenson (19)—in Cleveland, Mississippi, about 18 miles (29 kilometers) from Drew. Wayne lived in Drew, while Wesley (Wayne's brother) and Allan (Wayne's and Wesley's nephew) were from Memphis, Tennessee. The individuals had several loaded weapons with them, including a .22 caliber gun that had one expended round. According to police, two of the individuals were drunk at the time of their arrest. On the same day that they were arrested, they were charged with murder. They were initially held in Cleveland's jail, but the following day they were transferred to the Mississippi State Penitentiary. They were scheduled to make their first court appearances on June 7. The three men were indicted by a grand jury and on July 14, during their arraignment, they all pleaded not guilty. Wesley was accused of being the individual who fired the shot that killed Collier. His trial was held in October, with Judge B. B. Wilkes of the Mississippi Circuit Courts presiding.