Madam, - Quentin Fottrell's reference (Opinion, September 9th) to the murder of "three black civil rights activists" in 1964 — an atrocity upon which, as he notes, the film Mississippi Burningwas based - is at best confusing.
The three activists concerned were James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner. Chaney was African-American; Goodman and Schwerner were white.
Describing the men correctly is not only a matter of respect; it is also important in and of itself. The case showed in a particularly powerful way the willingness of some Americans to come together across ethnic lines to oppose racial injustice.
On the other hand, African-Americans have questioned whether the involvement of white activists in these events have led to them being more prominently commemorated than black victims of racism in the civil rights era. - Yours, etc,
NIALL STANAGE,
New York,
USA.