The Mississippi Freedom Trail was created to commemorate the people and places in the state that played a pivotal role in the American Civil Rights Movement. Under the leadership of Visit Mississippi, the first Freedom Trail markers were unveiled in 2011 in conjunction with the 50th anniversary reunion of the Freedom Riders.
In 2022, Visit Mississippi entered into a partnership with the Mississippi Humanities Council to expand the trail, and we are on pace to more than double the number of markers by the end of 2024. All new markers were approved by a committee of community leaders, civil rights veterans, and civil rights scholars.
See the complete list of Freedom Trail markers from Mississippi’s Department of Tourism here: Civil Rights Sites and Destinations – Visit Mississippi
Click below for locations to the latest Mississippi Freedom Trail Markers.
Henry Reaves and the Benton County Movement
Members of the Freedom Trail Scholarly Review Committee include:
Dr. Daphne Chamberlain, Associate Professor of History, Tougaloo College
Dr. Roy DeBerry, Civil Rights Veteran, Director of the Hill Country Project
Frank Figgers, Civil Rights Veteran
Von Gordon, Executive Director, Alluvial Collective
Pamela Junior, Director, Two Mississippi Museums
Dr. Robby Luckett, Professor of History, Jackson State University
Dr. Leslie McLemore, Civil Rights Veteran
Dr. Stuart Rockoff, Executive Director, Mississippi Humanities Council
John Spann, Program & Outreach Officer, Mississippi Humanities Council
Dr. Rebecca Tuuri, Associate Professor of History, University of Southern Mississippi