Jackson Free Press

Jackson State University has seen a lot of history in its 125 years. Originally founded in Natchez, the school was started to be a seminary for "the moral, religious and intellectual improvement of Christian leaders of the colored people of Mississippi and the neighboring states." The school was moved to Jackson in 1899 and came under state control in 1940, deep in the heart of the segregationist era.

Thirty years later, with civil rights-era tensions still simmering and Vietnam protests spreading around the country, local police and state highway patrolmen opened fire on a dormitory where students were rioting, leaving Phillip Lafayette Gibbs, 21, dead from multiple shots to the head and chest. James Earl Green, 17, died from a shotgun blast to the chest. Twelve other students were injured from the gunfire. No one was ever arrested for the killings. The shootings came just 11 days after the similar (though better-known) shootings at Kent State.

Today, 125 years after its humble founding, Jackson State is known and respected for its academic programs as well as its football legacy. JSU will commemorate its birthday with a big party, as R&B legends the O'Jays ("Love Train," "Give the People What They Want") join forces with local chanteuse Patrice Moncell and WKXI personality Lady Vee to kick off the next 125 years with a thump and the funk.

The party will be held Friday, Oct. 24, at 9 p.m. at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. Call 979-2420 for tickets or more information.