Civil Rights Road Trip - Mississippi Delta
Elijah Weddington ’22 and Chase Breaux ’24 visit the Fannie Lou Hamer Monument in Ruleville, Mississippi.
The statue celebrates the life and preserves the legacy of civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer, who helped bring equality to a state that fiercely opposed change.
Hayden Kammer ’24
Civil Rights Road Trip students visit the Fannie Lou Hamer Memorial Statue.
Logan Smith ’23
Assistant Director of MXI Kim King '99 (left) and Michael Rojas-Landers ’23
“Till’s murder, coupled with the trail and acquittal of these two men, drew international attention and galvanized the Civil Rights Movement in Mississippi and the nation.”
Benjamin Saulsberry, museum director of the Emmett Till Interpretive Center in Sumner, meets with students to discuss the injustices in the Emmett Till murder trial.
Benjamin Saulsberry, museum director of the Emmett Till Interpretive Center in Sumner, meets with students to discuss the injustices in the Emmett Till murder trial.
Michael Rojas-Landers ’23 reads a sentence from the apology resolution presented to Till’s family. One section of the apology letter says, “We the citizens of Tallahatchie County recognize that the Emmett Till case was a terrible miscarriage of justice. We state candidly and with deep regret the failure to effectively pursue justice. We wish to say to the family of Emmett Till that we are profoundly sorry for what was done in this community to your loved one.”
Emmett Till was a Black 14-year-old who was lynched in 1955, after being accused of whistling a white woman. His murder brought nationwide attention to the racial violence and injustice prevalent in Mississippi.
Civil Rights Road Trip students make a stop at the Emmett Till Historic Intrepid Center (ETHIC). This museum was once a cotton gin that was owned by J.W. Milam, who along with Roy Bryant got away with murdering Till when an all-white jury acquitted them.
Civil Rights tour guide Jessie Jaynes-Diming addresses students on the bus as they prepare to visit Milam Plantation.
Emmett Till was tortured and killed in the pictured seed barn, which was once the Milam Plantation. The seed barn still stands today, without a plaque, marker, or memorial.
Emmett Till was tortured and killed in the pictured seed barn, which was once the Milam Plantation. The seed barn still stands today, without a plaque, marker, or memorial.
Students stand in silence as they listen to the story of how Emmett Till lost his life in 1955.
Although Till was likely killed in this barn, it remains one of the few sites in the Delta without any commemoration.
Although Till was likely killed in this barn, it remains one of the few sites in the Delta without any commemoration.
The bus makes a quick stop in the Clarksdale Blues District.
Alex Barr ’22 stops to take a photo.
Aaron Henry was a civil rights leader, politician, and head of the Mississippi branch of the NAACP. He was also one of the founders of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party.
The bus makes a quick stop in the Clarksdale Blues District.
Dr. Shamira Gelbman, associate professor of political science, talks to students about the history of the Clarksdale Blues District. Clarksdale is a cultural center in the Mississippi Delta where the blues began.
“I’ve been in jail, thirty-two times … but you always get out,” Aaron Henry said.