MISSISSIPPI CIVIL RIGHTS MUSEUM
222 NORTH STREET
JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI

HOURS
TUESDAY–SATURDAY  9AM–5PM
SUNDAY 11AM–5PM

Explore the Galleries

Explore the movement that changed the nation. Discover stories of Mississippians like Medgar Evers, Fannie Lou Hamer, and Vernon Dahmer, as well as those who traveled many miles to stand beside them, come what may, in the name of equal rights for all.

Explore the Galleries at the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum

Points of Light

The Civil Rights Movement in Mississippi is full of ordinary men and women who refused to sit silently while their brothers and sisters were denied their basic freedoms. A number of these heroes are featured throughout the museum as Points of Light, shining exemplars of dignity, strength, and perseverance in the face of oppression.

Julius Rosenwald - Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division, LC-DIG-ggbain-26613

Julius Rosenwald

When the state refused to adequately fund Black education, the Julius Rosenwald Fund stepped in to offer grants for community-built schools for Black children. The fund stemmed from a collaboration between Tuskegee Institute founder Booker T. Washington and Julius Rosenwald. The fund provided a third of the cost to be matched by state and local sources. Parents donated labor and materials to build schools and helped with maintenance. After 1890, nearly all public funds spent on Black education in Mississippi were spent to match Rosenwald grants. When the Great Depression ended the program in the 1930s, Mississippi ranked second in the country with 632 Rosenwald schools. 

Representative Robert Clark - AP Images/Bill Johnson

Representative Robert Clark

Robert G. Clark Jr. was the first African American elected to the Mississippi state legislature in the 20th century. A public high school teacher and coach, he had served on the Holmes County Community Action Program board and as project director of the Migrant Farmer’s Education Program. In the 1967 election, Clark benefited from an alliance of the NAACP, the MFDP, and local people when he defeated 12-year House veteran J.P. Love by just 116 votes. Clark would serve for 36 years, eventually chairing the House Education Committee, where he played a key role in the passage of the Education Reform Act of 1982. For 12 years, Clark served as Speaker Pro Tempore.

Explore Mississippi

Many of the homes, colleges, and historic sites discussed in this gallery still exist today. Journey beyond the museum walls and explore the places where history happened.

Jacqueline House African American Museum

Celebrates the rich legacy of African Americans in Warren County, Mississippi

1325 Main Street
Vicksburg, Mississipp 

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Rust College

Rust CollegeFounded in 1866 to provide basic education for newly-freed adults and children.

150 Rust Avenue
Holly Springs, Mississippi 38635

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