Kirksey/Devine forum held in honor of Black History

Asia Tingle
Staff Writer

The Veterans of the Mississippi Civil Rights Movement presented the Henry Kirksey/Annie Devine Forum on last Thursday Feb. 24 in honor of Black History Month at the COFO Educational Complex.

The Council of Federated Organizations (COFO) was founded in May 1961, by local and state civil rights leaders to be the “center” for all civil rights organizations in Mississippi during that time.  The COFO housed the first black radio station and organizations such as the Congress of Racial Equality, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, and the NAACP.

The forum centered on the construction of the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum. Mississippians interested in the creation of this museum were involved in a panel discussion.  Panelists included Dr. L.C. Dorsey, civil rights veteran; Derrick Johnson, State President of the Mississippi NAACP; Owen Brooks, Executive Director of the Veterans of the MS Civil Rights Movement, and Rev. C.J. Rhodes, Pastor of Mt. Helm Baptist Church.

Other officials on program were Rev. Isiah Madison, Jackson State Department of Political Science, Rev. Willie Blue, Veterans of the MS Civil Rights Movement,  and Frank Figgers, Vice Chairman of the Veterans of the MS Civil Rights Movement.

Brooks said, “We had a pretty nice crowd of around 50 people.  Most people wanted to know more about the bond issue that will be applied to the construction of the museum.”

According to the Clarion Ledger, the Senate Finance Committee passed a bill that gives a total of $30 million in funding to build a civil rights museum and a MS history museum, whereas the House already passed a similar bill but with $25 million more to fund both projects.  The Senate’s version of the bill has no set location for the civil rights museum, but the House version puts the museum next to the Mississippi History Museum.

Mississippi is one of the few states in the South that does not have a civil rights museum.

At the forum at the COFO Educational Complex, the Veterans of the MS Civil Rights Movement Board proposed a statement that suggests Tougaloo College as the best location of the civil rights museum.

The statement read: “The MS National Civil Rights Museum, when it is located at Tougaloo College will be an attraction that will enhance the image of Jackson and the Central Miss. area as an important tourist attraction.”

A follow-up discussion on the museum site will be held at a later date in March.

The Veterans of the MS Civil Rights Movement will host their 6th annual conference March 23-26 co-sponsored by Jackson State University. The theme for the conference is “Too Much Reform and Not Enough Change. NEEDED: A New Grassroots Movement for Change in EDUCATION.” The first day of the conference will be held at Tougaloo College and at JSU for the remainder of that week.

For more information, contact the office of the Veterans of the Mississippi Civil Rights Movement located in Ayer Hall at 601-979-1520.