'Jackson Civil Rights Lawyers' Freedom Trail Marker Unveiled on Farish Street
A new Freedom Trail Marker unveiled Friday honors R. Jess Brown, Carsie Hall Sr., and Jack Young Sr., who partnered with Thurgood Marshall to defend Freedom Riders, fight for voting rights, and dismantle Jim Crow through the courts—one landmark case at a time.
A new Freedom Trail Marker was unveiled Friday on Farish Street, honoring the legal work of R. Jess Brown, Carsie Hall Sr., and Jack Young Sr., who operated from offices above the Big Apple Inn at 509 N. Farish Street.
These three attorneys used the law to fight segregation and defend activists arrested for standing up for freedom. Their caseload included landmark battles over voting rights, school desegregation, and the defense of Freedom Riders. Working in partnership with Thurgood Marshall and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, they helped dismantle Jim Crow through the courts, one case at a time.
Mayor John Horhn, Judge Reuben Anderson, Constance Slaughter-Harvey, building owner Kimberly Sweet, Visit Jackson's Dr. Rickey Thigpen, and Mississippi Humanities Council's John Spann spoke at the unveiling, recognizing that the civil rights movement required not just protesters in the streets, but skilled lawyers willing to challenge injustice through the legal system.
The marker, erected in partnership with the Mississippi and Visit Mississippi Humanities Council as part of the Freedom Trail, ensures that those walking past the Big Apple Inn will know this building housed more than a legendary restaurant; it was home to a legal practice that changed Mississippi and the nation.
