“I have had the motivation of living up to the remarkable standards
Andy set for all of us”
Carolyn Goodman dedicated her life to fighting unrelentingly and fearlessly for human rights and social justice long before her middle son, Andrew, was taken from her. She was living proof that it is within the power and reach of each of us to create a better world. She not only survived the most painful experience a mother can imagine, the violent death of a child, but she bravely turned personal tragedy into inspiration, dedication and positive change.

The hope for a better and just world
Carolyn and her husband, Robert founded the Andrew Goodman Foundation in 1966 to honor their son and to inspire others to become actively involved in social justice. She organized marches, supported countless nonprofit organizations and spoke out whenever she was needed, working tirelessly to carry out the ideals and dreams of her son.

Carolyn was a clinical psychologist who dedicated her life to the fight
for social justice including organizing farmers cooperatives, fighting
fascism and speaking out against injustice. She founded the PACE (Parent and Adult Child Education) Family Center in 1968 to treat mental ilness amongst young, teenage single mothers. PACE was a successful program and has been replicated in the U.S. and abroad.

Her son David recounted a characteristic incident which occurred in 1999 during a public protest after the death of Amadou Diallo in a hail of police bullets in New York City. A colleague came into his office to inform him that his mother, 83 years old at the time, had been seen on television, being taken off to jail. He said, 'Well, that happens from time to time.' Carolyn made the world a better place through her concern for the underprivileged and admirable determination to bring about positive change through her own self-sacrifice. All the while, she radiated purpose, good humor and an unfailing belief in justice.

“Dear Mom and Dad...”
At the trial of Preacher Edgar Ray Killen Jr., the ringleader of the murders of Andrew Goodman, James Chaney and Michael Schwerner, Carolyn read the postcard her son wrote on June 21, 1964, the last day of his life.
Dear Mom and Dad,” it read, “I have arrived safely in Meridian, Miss. This is a wonderful town, and the weather is fine. I wish you were here. The people in this city are wonderful, and our reception was very good. All my love, Andy.”

His optimism is palpable in those last words to his parents and they reflect the hope and idealism that they nurtured in young Andy and his two brothers, David and Jonathan. In a 1965 interview with the New York Times, Carolyn stated, “I still feel that I would let Andy go to Mississippi again. Even after this terrible thing happened to Andy, I couldn’t make a turnabout of everything I believe in.” She could not deny her son the right to follow his dream of helping those who were oppressed. She knew it was dangerous. Before he left, she snuck a few bandages in his suitcase - “just in case.”

Justice not revenge
Carolyn worked tirelessly to see justice served in the murders of that fateful day in 1964 in Neshoba County. 41 years later to the day, on June 21, 2005, Edgar Ray Killen Jr. was found guilty of manslaughter by a state jury in Mississippi. She never sought revenge, only justice.

Carolyn left this world in 2007, undoubtedly a better place in many ways due to her activism. She lived a long and fruitful life, someone we can all look up to for her own “remarkable standards”.

Learn more
Carolyn Goodman Memorial booklet >