Washington Addition in Jackson in Hinds County, Mississippi — The American South (East South Central)

Jackson State Tragedy

— Mississippi Freedom Trail —

Photographed by Mark Hilton, October 24, 2017

1. Jackson State Tragedy Marker

Inscription. Tragedy struck Jackson State College on May 15, 1970, when Jackson police and Mississippi Highway Patrol officers suppressed student unrest with intense gunfire. Phillip Lafayette Gibbs and James Earl Green were killed and many injured when bullets riddled Alexander Hall and peppered nearby areas. Law enforcement had massed at the college to subdue students protesting harassment from whites driving through campus, police intimidation, and the recent killing of four student demonstrators at Kent State University by the Ohio National Guard.

Erected 2012 by the Mississippi Development Authority Tourism Division. (Marker Number 6a.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights • Education. In addition, it is included in the Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and the Mississippi Freedom Trail series lists. A significant historical date for this entry is May 15, 1970.

Location. 32° 17.848′ N, 90° 12.718′ W. Marker is in Jackson, Mississippi, in Hinds County. It is in Washington Addition. It is on John R. Lynch Street west of South Prentiss Street, on the right when traveling east. Located at the west entrance to Jackson State University and across from Rose Embly McCoy Auditorium. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: John R Lynch Street, Jackson MS 39203, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Mississippi’s Natchez Trace Corridor.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Deep South.

Globally, it is in North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Dorothy Moore (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Bobby Rush (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Gowdy Community

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(approx. ¼ mile away); Margaret Walker (approx. ¼ mile away); a different marker also named Jackson State Tragedy (approx. ¼ mile away); A Bench By The Road (approx. ¼ mile away); M.W. Stringer Grand Lodge (approx. half a mile away); Noel House (approx. 0.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Jackson.

More about this marker. This marker is the same on both sides.

A complete Jackson State Tragedy marker is located near Alexander Residence Hall on campus and was placed in April, 2012.

Also see . . . Wikipedia article on the Jackson State killings. (Submitted on October 24, 2017, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.)

Reverse side of Jackson State Tragedy Marker with same text. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, October 24, 2017

2. Reverse side of Jackson State Tragedy Marker with same text.

Jackson State Tragedy Marker with the John A. Peoples Science Building in background. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, October 24, 2017

3. Jackson State Tragedy Marker with the John A. Peoples Science Building in background.

View of Jackson State University entrance near the marker. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, October 24, 2017

4. View of Jackson State University entrance near the marker.

Credits. This page was last revised on July 31, 2023. It was originally submitted on October 24, 2017, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 953 times since then and 43 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on October 24, 2017, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. 2. submitted on September 16, 2019, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. 3, 4. submitted on October 24, 2017, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.