Columbus in Lowndes County, Mississippi — The American South (East South Central)

MUW Desegregation

Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, March 12, 2024

1. MUW Desegregation Marker

Inscription. In September 1966, six local African American women integrated the Mississippi State College for Women. Undergraduate students Diane Hardy, Barbara Turner, and Laverne Greene, and graduate students Jacqueline Edwards, Mary Flowers, and Eula Houser faced isolation and harassment while overturning eighty-two years of segregation at the institution. Edwards became the first Black student to graduate, earning a master's degree in 1968. They paved the way for the education of future generations of African Americans.

Erected 2023 by Mississippi Department of Archives and History.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights • Education • Women. In addition, it is included in the Mississippi State Historical Marker Program series list. A significant historical month for this entry is September 1966.

Location. 33° 29.656′ N, 88° 25.119′ W. Marker is in Columbus, Mississippi, in Lowndes County. Marker is on 3rd Avenue South east of South 12th Street, on the left when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Columbus MS 39701, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Mississippi State College for Women (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); Kenneth Gatchell House

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(approx. 0.2 miles away); Demonstration School (approx. 0.2 miles away); Church of the Annunciation (approx. 0.3 miles away); Snowdoun (approx. 0.4 miles away); Friendship Cemetery (approx. 0.4 miles away); Sims-Brown House (approx. 0.4 miles away); First Baptist Church of Columbus (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Columbus.

Also see . . .
1. In Their Footsteps. Multimedia exhibit on the university's segregated origins and eventual desegregation. (Mississippi University for Women Galleries) (Submitted on April 9, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

2. Mississippi University for Women, Desegregation of. Mississippi University for Women—also known as “The W”—was founded in 1884 as the Mississippi Industrial Institute and College for the Education of White Girls. The first publicly funded college for women in the nation, it operated exclusively for whites throughout the first eighty-two years of existence. (Erin M. Kempker, Mississippi Encyclopedia) (Submitted on April 9, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, March 12, 2024

2. MUW Desegregation Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on April 9, 2024. It was originally submitted on April 9, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 42 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 9, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.