JACKSON, Miss.
Before the Freedom Riders came to Jackson, nine Black students from Tougaloo College entered the city’s segregated main library branch and began reading.
After refusing orders by the chief of police to leave, the so-called Tougaloo Nine were arrested, charged and convicted of breaching the peace.
Their actions in March 1961 were among the first high-profile efforts to break down a stubborn, long-standing system of segregation in Mississippi.
After that, the movement for racial equality gained momentum in other Mississippi communities, and the Freedom Riders’ arrival in Jackson put the nation’s spotlight on the city.
Because of Jackson’s prominence, several leading officials here think it’s appropriate that a Mississippi civil rights museum be built in the capital city.
A legislative study group on Tuesday released a list of recommendations, saying the museum should be built somewhere in Jackson and should be part of a “trail” to highlight historically significant civil rights sites around the state.
