Washington Addition in Jackson in Hinds County, Mississippi — The American South (East South Central)
A Bench By The Road
Photographed By Mark Hilton, July 31, 2021
1. A Bench By The Road Marker
"There is no place you or I can go, to think about or not think about, to summon the presences of, or recollect the absences of slaves; nothing that reminds us of the ones who made the journey and of those who did not make it. There is no suitable memorial or plaque or wreath or wall or park or skyscraper lobby. There's no 300-foot tower There's no small bench by the road."
The Bench by the Road Project was launched by the Toni Morrison Society in honor of Nobel Laureate Toni Morrison. This Bench is placed in recognition of the artistic and academic legacy of Margaret Walker on the occasion of her centennial year. Walker played a pivotal role as a poet and novelist during the Black Arts Movement. Her collection of poetry, For My People (1942), won the Yale Series of Younger Poets Award, making her the first Black woman to receive a national writing prize. Her novel, Jubilee (1966), based on her grandmother's memories, initiated a genre of neo-slave novels, including Toni Morrison's Beloved (1987), that told the story of slavery from the perspective of the slaves themselves. In 1968, while a member of the faculty at Jackson State College, she founded the Institute for the Study of the History, Life, and Culture of Black People.
this page online
Erected 2015 by Margaret Walker Center, Jackson State University.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Arts, Letters, Music • Civil Rights. A significant historical year for this entry is 1989.
Location. 32° 17.801′ N, 90° 12.465′ W. Marker is in Jackson, Mississippi, in Hinds County. It is in Washington Addition. Marker can be reached from Ayer Hall (East Side). Located on the Jackson State University campus at Ayer Hall's Margaret Walker Center. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Jackson MS 39203, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Margaret Walker (here, next to this marker); Jackson State Tragedy (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Dorothy Moore (approx. 0.2 miles away); M.W. Stringer Grand Lodge (approx. ¼ mile away); a different marker also named Jackson State Tragedy (approx. ¼ mile away); Council of Federated Organizations (COFO) (approx. 0.3 miles away); COFO Central Offices (approx. 0.4 miles away); Noel House (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Jackson.
More about this marker. Directions: Take Dr. Robert Smith Parkway go south on Dalton
Photographed By Mark Hilton, July 31, 2021
2. A Bench By The Road Marker
Regarding A Bench By The Road. This was the 12th Bench Placement by the Toni Morrison Society.
Also see . . . Bench Histories from the Toni Morrison Society. (Submitted on August 2, 2021, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.)
Photographed By Mark Hilton, July 31, 2021
3. A Bench By The Road
Placed by the Margaret Walker Center, Jackson State University, April 10, 2015
Credits. This page was last revised on February 16, 2023. It was originally submitted on August 2, 2021, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 243 times since then and 38 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on August 2, 2021, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.
