MUSEUM OF MISSISSIPPI HISTORY & MISSISSIPPI CIVIL RIGHTS MUSEUM

Opened in December 2017, this museum has been an unparalleled success since its opening and reflects the local people's expectation of a unique place that traces both the history of the Mississippi and the struggle for civil rights. A combined pass will give you access to both museums. It will take you between 2 and 3 hours to have time to explore both parts. Each museum is extremely well made, fun, visual and very well thought out. The historical part covers the different periods in the history of the State, from the life of the first local tribes to the arrival of the French and the first Europeans. Slavery is also an important part of the system, as is the system of sharecropping, disguised slavery practiced at the end of the Civil War. The exhibitions also cover the major events of the 20th century, the 1927 floods, migration to the north and segregation, which is discussed in more detail in the section on civil rights. So ideally start with the History Museum before moving on to the Civil Right Museum. The latter began at the end of the Civil War and traces the evolution of African-American deprivation and civil rights struggles, not only in Mississippi but also in the South and across the country in general. It presents key dates, highlights and strong personalities through historical friezes, texts, photos, videos and other multimedia exhibitions. It is, of course, a lot of content but extremely well brought while being playful and poignant at the same time. The exhibitions are divided into several rooms dedicated to the different periods dealing with the implementation of the Jim Crow laws and segregation; the spread of racial violence with the emergence of the Ku Kux Klan; the first civic movements, those that appeared throughout the country but also those that took place in Mississippi. The exhibition does not end with the law of July 2, 1964, which abolishes racial segregation and restores civil rights for all American citizens. It proposes a final part that invites us to reflect on how we can move forward from there and continue to make things change.