Mississippi Needs a Civil Rights Museum
By Brother Rogers
Mississippi needs a civil rights museum. It is an idea whose time has come.
The most vexing problem confronting our nation throughout its history has been race. From the beginning, the Founders grappled with outlawing the slave trade and the three-fifths compromise.
No issue in America was more divisive in the 19th century than slavery. No issue in America was more controversial in the 20th century than civil rights. No state in America had a greater role or was impacted more by the Civil War and the civil rights movement than Mississippi.
There can be no understanding of Mississippi’s history without understanding the role that race has played in our state. Numbers alone help paint the picture. In 1860, 55 percent of the state’s population was enslaved. Even today, despite a mass exodus of African Americans in the first half of the last century, blacks make up 37 percent of Mississippi’s population – by far the highest in the country.
In the past, everything, and I mean everything, was viewed through the prism of race. For example, in 1959 our representatives in Washington voted against the admission of Alaska and Hawaii as states. Why? Their inclusion meant possibly four more votes in the Senate for civil rights laws.
Given our special place in history, Mississippi needs a separate museum focused solely on civil rights and race relations. It needs to be in Jackson, our capital and largest city, and it needs to be easily accessible. It needs to be a Smithsonian-caliber museum with hands-on exhibits using the latest interactive technology to teach visitors, especially young people, about the importance of justice and fairness and how the struggle to achieve equality has taken place in Mississippi.
Mississippi’s history is an important part of American history. We need to tell our story, and there is a lot to tell. At a minimum, the exhibits should include the contributions of Medgar and Myrlie Evers, James Meredith’s integrating Ole Miss, Vernon Dahmer’s struggle in Hattiesburg, Fannie Lou Hamer’s ordeal in a Winona jail, Robert Clark’s political rise in the Delta, Bob Moses’ grassroots organizing in McComb and Greenwood, the Freedom Riders, Freedom Summer in Mississippi, the Emmett Till tragedy, the Neshoba County slayings, the delegation of Mississippi Freedom Democrats’ attempt to be recognized at the Democratic National Convention, Martin Luther King’s efforts in Mississippi, the role of SNCC, COFO, the NAACP, the FBI and others. In addition, local heroes such as Starkville’s Dr. Douglas Conner should be honored.
In short, there needs to be a place where students can come for a field trip, residents can bring their families, and tourists can come from out-of-state to learn about the details of the civil rights movement in Mississippi.
A civil rights museum is necessary to honor those who gave their lives for justice, to educate new generations about the sacrifices made, and to demonstrate how proud we are of how far we have come. Mississippi has changed in the direction Medgar Evers had hoped. A museum can document that positive change.
At long last, our governor and our legislators are jointly realizing that a civil rights museum is in the public interest. Let’s hope when the political dust settles, our leaders can proudly proclaim the words of the old spiritual, “May the work I done for you speak for me.”
Brother Rogers is a guest columnist for the Starkville Daily News and works at the Stennis Center for Public Service.
Mississippi needs a civil rights museum. It is an idea whose time has come.
The most vexing problem confronting our nation throughout its history has been race. From the beginning, the Founders grappled with outlawing the slave trade and the three-fifths compromise.
No issue in America was more divisive in the 19th century than slavery. No issue in America was more controversial in the 20th century than civil rights. No state in America had a greater role or was impacted more by the Civil War and the civil rights movement than Mississippi.
There can be no understanding of Mississippi’s history without understanding the role that race has played in our state. Numbers alone help paint the picture. In 1860, 55 percent of the state’s population was enslaved. Even today, despite a mass exodus of African Americans in the first half of the last century, blacks make up 37 percent of Mississippi’s population – by far the highest in the country.
In the past, everything, and I mean everything, was viewed through the prism of race. For example, in 1959 our representatives in Washington voted against the admission of Alaska and Hawaii as states. Why? Their inclusion meant possibly four more votes in the Senate for civil rights laws.
Given our special place in history, Mississippi needs a separate museum focused solely on civil rights and race relations. It needs to be in Jackson, our capital and largest city, and it needs to be easily accessible. It needs to be a Smithsonian-caliber museum with hands-on exhibits using the latest interactive technology to teach visitors, especially young people, about the importance of justice and fairness and how the struggle to achieve equality has taken place in Mississippi.
Mississippi’s history is an important part of American history. We need to tell our story, and there is a lot to tell. At a minimum, the exhibits should include the contributions of Medgar and Myrlie Evers, James Meredith’s integrating Ole Miss, Vernon Dahmer’s struggle in Hattiesburg, Fannie Lou Hamer’s ordeal in a Winona jail, Robert Clark’s political rise in the Delta, Bob Moses’ grassroots organizing in McComb and Greenwood, the Freedom Riders, Freedom Summer in Mississippi, the Emmett Till tragedy, the Neshoba County slayings, the delegation of Mississippi Freedom Democrats’ attempt to be recognized at the Democratic National Convention, Martin Luther King’s efforts in Mississippi, the role of SNCC, COFO, the NAACP, the FBI and others. In addition, local heroes such as Starkville’s Dr. Douglas Conner should be honored.
In short, there needs to be a place where students can come for a field trip, residents can bring their families, and tourists can come from out-of-state to learn about the details of the civil rights movement in Mississippi.
A civil rights museum is necessary to honor those who gave their lives for justice, to educate new generations about the sacrifices made, and to demonstrate how proud we are of how far we have come. Mississippi has changed in the direction Medgar Evers had hoped. A museum can document that positive change.
At long last, our governor and our legislators are jointly realizing that a civil rights museum is in the public interest. Let’s hope when the political dust settles, our leaders can proudly proclaim the words of the old spiritual, “May the work I done for you speak for me.”
Brother Rogers is a guest columnist for the Starkville Daily News and works at the Stennis Center for Public Service.
