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
Click here to submit an application!
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. The first Freedom Trail markers were unveiled in 2011 in conjunction with the 50th anniversary reunion of the Freedom Riders. Today, there are 30 markers throughout the state honoring such heroes of the movement as Fannie Lou Hamer, Aaron Henry, and Medgar Evers and historical sites such as Biloxi Beach, site of a 1960 wade-in.
The Mississippi Freedom Trail is now managed by the Mississippi Humanities Council, with partnership and funding provided by Visit Mississippi. With special federal funds to support tourism development, resources are available for twenty new markers. The MHC will coordinate the selection and writing of these twenty new markers, and will help communities plan dedication events and other programs to highlight local civil rights history. A committee of community leaders, civil rights veterans, and civil rights scholars will review and approve new markers for the trail. The committee has chosen eleven new markers for the freedom trail and the remaining nine will be chosen from our open application process. The application is linked here and the next deadline for applications is November 1st.
See the complete list of Freedom Trail markers from Mississippi’s Department of Tourism here: Civil Rights Sites and Destinations – Visit Mississippi