Civil Rights History: Jackson State University
Before it became Jackson State University, it was Jackson College—founded to educate the formerly enslaved and rooted in a corridor that would become a cradle of Civil Rights history.
From the leadership of John R. Lynch to the tragedy of Gibbs-Green, the story of JSU and Lynch Street is one of resilience, activism and Black excellence.
President Abraham Lincoln’s 1863 Emancipation Proclamation took years before it was actually implemented in the Confederate states, but it was coming. Institutions began to emerge in the South for Black people to receive an education. The Natchez Seminary was founded in 1877 in Natchez, Mississippi, and shortly after moved to Jackson, Mississippi. In 1882, it was renamed Jackson College.
Its mission was to provide moral, religious, and intellectual education to the formerly enslaved, particularly training Christian leaders, ministers, and teachers. Seems like a worthy cause, but any place that upheld the advancement of Black people was a target for danger during that time. Jackson College eventually became the Jackson State University (JSU) we know today, and it has always been surrounded by Black excellence via Black-owned businesses and organizations. The university sits on John R. Lynch St., in a corridor that has seen more than its share of Civil Rights moments and leaders.
Gibbs-Green
The Gibbs-Green Tragedy refers to the deadly police shooting at Alexander Hall at Jackson State College on May 15, 1970. It resulted in the deaths of two young Black men, Phillip Lafayette Gibbs and James Earl Green, and injuries to twelve others. In the days before the shooting, tensions were high due to ongoing protests by students fueled by repeated incidents of white motorists harassing Black students, and rumors that Charles Evers and his wife had been killed heightened the anxiety. That evening, rocks and bottles were thrown at passing cars, and a dump truck was set on fire in the street. Police and highway patrol responded in force, accompanied by National Guardsmen and a tank. Police opened fire for about 28–30 seconds, discharging between 140 and 460 rounds of ammunition, primarily shotguns and buckshot, at Alexander Hall and the crowd. Every window facing Lynch Street was shattered.
M.W. Stringer Grand Lodge/The Masonic Temple
The M.W. Stringer Grand Lodge was a central site for Black leadership and activism. It serves as the headquarters for the Mississippi NAACP and was the office of Medgar Evers, the organization’s Field Secretary, and a key civil rights leader. The lodge provided a safe haven for civil rights pioneers, including Medgar Evers, Ida B. Wells, and Thurgood Marshall. It was a meeting place for organizing protests, marches, and mass gatherings, and it temporarily housed civil rights workers during the movement’s peak.
Campbell College
Campbell College was a cornerstone of Black education and civil rights. The college no longer exists, but its legacy endures through Jackson State University’s residence halls and the continued recognition of Lynch Street as a historic center of achievement and activism.
COFO
The Council of Federated Organizations (COFO) was established in 1961 as an umbrella group to unify civil rights organizations in Mississippi, including SNCC, CORE, SCLC, and NAACP. COFO played a central role in significant initiatives, including the 1963 Freedom Vote, the formation of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, and the 1964 Freedom Summer, which focused on voter registration and education. It included Aaron Henry, Bob Moses, Dave Dennis, Carsie Hall, and many others.
John R. Lynch
John Roy Lynch was a pioneering African American politician, writer, attorney, military officer, and businessman who rose from slavery to national prominence during and after Reconstruction. He was born into slavery on the Tacony Plantation in Concordia Parish, Louisiana. He was eventually freed while in Natchez, Mississippi, in 1863. Lynch became active in the Republican Party after the Civil War and was appointed justice of the peace in Natchez in 1869. At 22, he was elected to the Mississippi House of Representatives, and in 1873, he became the first Black Speaker of the Mississippi House—the first Black person to hold such a position in any state legislature.
Countless other Civil Rights events took place in the historical John R. Lynch Corridor, including the “Decade of Action” and hosting the Committee of Concern, founded by Rabbi Perry Nussbaum, which worked to rebuild Black churches targeted by violence and supported the Freedom Riders. JSU is currently working on a project to transform a section of Lynch Street into a Civil Rights Memorial Corridor, further solidifying its status as a place of remembrance and education.
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1400 John R. Lynch St
Jackson, Mississippi 39217-0290
(601) 979-2281
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Jackson State University1400 John R. Lynch St
Jackson, Mississippi 39217-0290