The first thing one notices when visiting Jackson, Mississippi, USA, is how proud the city is of its role in the civil rights movement.
“The place was important”says Dr. Robert Luckett, Professor of History at the Jackson State University.
Jackson played a key role in the “Freedom Rides” of 1961, which saw brave demonstrators protesting segregation on state buses. These intrepid freedom fighters risked their lives riding the Greyhound buses of the American South. 329 of them were arrested in Jackson.
“The atmosphere in Mississippi and in Jackson is shaped by this history”said Luckett. _”If you want to change something, you first have to encourage the people at the grassroots level._You can learn all that here in Jackson.”
Jackson: Home of Civil Rights Heroes
On the Jackson Civil Rights Trail learn more regarding the history of civil rights in the city. One stop is the home of civil rights leader Medgar Evers.
Evers was known for his fight once morest the Jim Crow laws that oppressed African Americans in the South, for the right to an integrated education, and for his comments on the brutal murder of teenager Emmett Till. This fight eventually cost Evers his life when he was shot dead outside his own home.
“His gift was to bring all to one table to accomplish a task, and that mission was to bring truth, justice, and equality to all men.”said Keena Graham, the head of the Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home National Monument.
“We want people not only to think regarding his death, but to celebrate his life and be inspired and inspired to take action.”
The Legacy of the Civil Rights Movement in Jackson
While closely linked to places like Jackson, the civil rights movement is also part of United States national history and emblematic of struggles for equality around the world.
This site-specific but internationally relevant story is told at the two locations of the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum und des Museum of Mississippi History told.
“Our civil rights museum is regarding ordinary people. Not only are they the driving force behind the civil rights movement, these museums show that ordinary people had the courage to engage in this fight for justice“says Michael Morris, director of public engagement at the Mississippi Department of Archives and History.
“The protest movement in Mississippi not only changed Mississippi, it changed the nation and the world.”
