Jackson

MUSIC
Strange Fruit (Billie Holliday)
Why Aye Man (Dire Straits)
Oh Freedom (Shirley Verrett)
We Shall Not be Moved (Mavis Staple)


PLACES TO VISIT


1. Lanier High School "Restore the Legacy"
Richard Wright went to high school at Lanier High, in Jackson. Given his legacy, the school is now dedicated to excellence and the pursuit of masterful writing. This would be an interesting way to observe the setting that Wright grew up in, even though he dropped out of high school. It was named after William Henry Lanier who was born a slave in 1851 but later went on to become the President of Alcorn College. His portrait makes him look suspiciously white...


2. Historic Farish Street
This is a neighbourhood that spans more than a century of existence. It served as a middle-class African-American community that thrived in the time period between the Civil War and the end of segregation. It was a self-sustained community that responded to the hostile, racist society outside by forming a tight community and sticking together. I hope to see some signs of resistance against segregation or racial discrimination here and it will be inspiring, I think, to see the remnants of a grand spirit of a people who wanted a better life. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980 and boasts over 690 listings of building, sites, and monuments that have also been placed in the National Register.



3. Medgar Evers Home
Medgar Evers was a prominent Civil Rights activist known for his struggles during the Civil Rights Movement in Mississippi. After the 1954 Supreme Court decision ruling segregation unconstitutional, Evers applicationa and subsequent rejection from the University of Mississippi Law School attracted the attention of the NAACP. Evers and his wife moved to Jackson and worked for the NAACP as field secretaries where they investigated hate crimes against African-Americans and sought ways to prevent them from occurring. In June of 1963, Evers was assassinated outside his home by a white supremacist. His legacy is very prevalent today, especially in light of the sacrifices he made for the advancement of African-Americans and the freedom and opportunity that came out of the Civil Rights Movement. 


4. Smith Robertson Museum and Cultural Centre
This centre is located in the "heart of Jackson's historic Black community" and is a place of display for hundreds of artifacts that detail and follow the African-American experience in Mississippi. If offers a view of artifacts in the field of history, art, music, and literature, as well as photographs. I think this would be an excellent connection to 12 Million Black Voices, especially the photographs. I look forward to learning more about the experiences the blacks had and seeing the artifacts. 


5. Tougaloo College
Given its history as the starting point of the Civil Rights Movement in Mississippi and the event that raised awareness of the social injustice facing the African-Americans, Tougaloo College is rich in cultural history. 


DINING


1. Ole Tavern on George Street
2. Peaches Cafe
3. Tom's Original Fried Pies


MOVIES
The Help (2012)
Freedom Riders (2011)