Interpreting the History of the Mississippi Civil Rights Movement: The Expansion of America's Participatory Democracy

FAIN: BK-50004-06

Jackson State University (Jackson, MS 39217-0001)
Leslie B. McLemore (Project Director: September 2005 to July 2007)

Consultation to plan seven community driving tour guides and a statewide guidebook focusing on historic sites related to the Civil Rights movement in Mississippi.

This project will provide interpretive resources focusing on the history of the Civil Rights Movement (CRM) in Mississippi from 1960 through 1968. The project will be a first step in ensuring that this history and its significance will be interpreted and made accessible to the state's residents and visitors. Anticipated outcomes from the latter planning and implementation stages of the project include a statewide guidebook to civil rights landmarks and interpretive driving tour guide booklets for seven Mississippi communities. Funding for the consultation phase will be used to a) benchmark comparable resources from other southern states, and b) conduct preliminary meetings with scholars, surviving CRM participants, and local community leaders who are committed to aiding in the development of interpretive resources.