Civil Rights
Mississippi was a crucial "battleground" in the American Civil Rights Movement. Even today, there are plenty of reminders of the important role that Mississippi played in African-American history. A Civil Rights driving tour of Jackson, the state capital, will take you past the home of slain NAACP leader Medgar Evers as well as Freedom Corner.
Jackson
The Mississippi Civil Rights Museum includes the papers and artifacts of slain civil rights leader Medgar Evers, the doors of the Bryant Grocery that 14-year-old Emmett Till walked through before his fateful encounter with the shopkeeper that led to his murder; a series of lighted columns that display the name of every known lynching victim in the state - more than 600 individuals; and a dramatic two-story "This Little Light of Mine" sculpture that celebrates the hope of the Civil Rights Movement in song and light.
The house that Medgar Evers, NAACP Field Secretary, and his wife owned is not grand. It is evidence of little wealth but a great deal of power. The small house and site of his assassination and the neighbourhood of similar houses that surround it make palpable the very simple longings for freedom and opportunity that drove the Civil Rights Movement. As a museum and a house in a historic district, the renovated structure informs those who visit of the many sacrifices that took place in Jackson and in Mississippi and presents a more modern link in the succession of Mississippi landmarks that communicate the history of the state.
A Civil Rights self-guided driving tour showcases key buildings, churches and other sites significant to the Civil Rights Movement in Jackson,Mississippi. The tour divides the sites in Jackson into four sections, with each section taking approximately 1 hour. For further information visit www.visitjackson.com.
Hattiesburg
The Freedom Summer Trail is a compilation of historic sites of Freedom Summer 1964 and the Civil Rights Movement in Hattiesburg. The Trail is a driving tour of 16 sites permanently marked to educate Hattiesburg's citizens and visitors about this important time in history. The tour begins at the Hattiesburg Visitors Center. Maps and audio tours are available to guide you with narratives describing the significance of each site.
Mississippi Freedom Trail
Historic civil rights sites such as the home of Medgar Evers in Jackson and Bryant's Grocery in Money are on the Mississippi Freedom Trail, a network of more than two-dozen markers where visitors can witness how pivotal events in Mississippi changed the world. Created in 2011 to commemorate the people and places of the civil rights movement, the first markers were unveiled during the 50th anniversary of the 1961 Freedom Riders. For more information visit mississippimarkers.com/civil-rights.
