Jackson Free Press

[The following letter is verbatim from Gov. Barbour to the Civil Rights Museum Federation Committee at the Mississippi Department of Archives and History]

It is my understanding that the Civil Rights Museum Federation Committee is meeting today to discuss the opportunities available to the committee for the establishment of a Mississippi Civil Rights Museum. As Cicero said, "History is the witness that testifies to the passing of time; it illumines reality, vitalizes memory, provides guidance in daily life and bring us tidings of antiquity."

For these reasons, as some of you may know, I have been working privately to support efforts to establish a civil rights museum that will help Mississippians preserve their history and help others appreciate how our state's history continues to influence the rights of all citizens today.

I applaud your efforts and wish to join with you in this endeavor. It is my intent to create a museum taskforce to bring together representatives from the public and private sector, from within our state and outside our borders. My purpose is to ensure that we harness all the possible resources and talent available to create a world-class museum worthy of our efforts. By combining state funds with private investment, we will be able to achieve our goal.

By this letter, I am extending to all of the Civil Rights Museum Federation Committee members an invitation to be a part of the Governor's Civil Rights Museum Taskforce.
More information about the Governor's Taskforce will be forthcoming. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me or Daryl Neely in my office. Again, I look forward to working with you.

Sincerely,

Haley Barbour

Previous Commentsshow

"establish a civil rights museum that will help Mississippians preserve their history and help others appreciate how our state's history continues to influence the rights of all citizens today" I wonder if that includes the rights of gay and lesbian Mississippians? He did say "all". I doubt it but we - Equality Mississippi - will be on top of it pushing for inclusion.

Jo-D

Jul 10 2006

It's early, I'm sure someone could tactfully suggest it. Otherwise, it's a good step for the state.

Ironghost

Jul 10 2006

The phrase "civil rights" is a tricky one. I have tried to define my civil liberties site around the idea of "civil rights," but the phrase as it is commonly understood refers specifically to the movement against racial segregation and other forms of racial discrimination, or more specifically the "civil rights movement"--neatly set up in textbooks as occurring between the years 1955 and 1970, when in fact even that civil rights movement was ongoing long before 1955 and still continues today. Hard to incorporate women's rights into the term, much less lesbian and gay rights. I've started using the phrase "equal rights" in some contexts, as it's more inclusive. Jo-D, I share your suspicion that Governor Barbour doesn't mean "all" Mississippians. Cheers, TH

Tom Head

Jul 11 2006

Mississippi has a long and storied "gay history" as presented in several books, the best being "Men like that; A Southern Queer History" by Dr. John Howard of Brandon (now teaching at some university in the European Union - I've lost track where! haha). In an ideal world, the proposed civil rights museum would include such history. "Ideal" being the keyword there.

Jo-D

Jul 11 2006

I applaud Gov. Barbour for forming this Task Force and will let this group handle the issues you raise. What have other states done? Civil Rights are, as Tom said, an on-going and fluid struggle. We are currently having problems with this in Jackson in several forms. BUT, it would be a pity to deter the efforts to secure for Jackson and for Mississippi a permanent Civil Rights Museum by quibbling over its contents at this time.

ChrisCavanaugh

Jul 11 2006

I agree, and further suspect that the specific focus of the museum is on racial civil rights. I would be very surprised if the museum dedicates much space to women's rights, the rights of the disabled, children's rights, immigrants' rights, and so forth, and if that's the case, it really wouldn't be appropriate to highlight only two kinds of civil rights. Civil rights as a term either refers specifically to the fight against white racism or it refers to all meaningful civil rights struggles. In this case, I suspect the former; that's what Mississippi is best known for. The civil rights tour that's conducted in this area certainly focuses on that. But certainly if it does have exhibits on a host of other non-racial civil rights struggles, Jo-D, I'll join you on the front lines arguing that an exhibit should be added commemorating the struggle for lesbian and gay rights, too. I'll even help organize. Dr. Howard teaches at the University of York in England, BTW. Excellent school. Thanks for the book reference! Cheers, TH

Tom Head

Jul 11 2006

May I add that I don't see anything at all wrong with using "civil rights" in an exclusive sense to refer only to the struggle against our country's system of apartheid. What I would see a problem with is specifically excluding lesbian and gay rights from a museum that otherwise assumes a broad definition of civil rights--but as I suspect the only focus will be on racial justice, I don't think this will become an issue, and I really look forward to seeing what's done with this project. Cheers, TH

Tom Head

Jul 11 2006

At least they're considering a Civil Rights museum...

Ironghost

Jul 11 2006

Exactly. and high time. it will add dignity and integrity to the offerings for us and tourists, too.

Izzy

Jul 11 2006

Don't take my words for being against the museum if the gay and lesbian civil rights struggle isn't included. That's far from the case. If it sticks with racial civil rights issues only, that's fine with me. Should it broaden in the future or even from the start cover a wide variety of civil rights issues, including women's issues, then it would be wrong to exclude gay and lesbian civil rights. Forgive me if my tone came off totally against this museum.

Jo-D

Jul 11 2006

Very well stated Jo-D, I think the important issue is to get it established and working as a place of history, reflection, and above all a working forum on race relations and issues. I don't think we have a civil rights museum per say here in Atlanta but we do have the Martin Luther King sites and King Center. But this organization and structure in Mississippi, I assume it will be in Jackson, should certainly immulate the functions of places like those. And again I assume that they are talking about Jackson as it is central and accessible to all peole inthe region.

ATLExile

Jul 11 2006

Jo-D, Discrimination with malicious intent is a terrible thing in any case, but GLBT "civil rights" don't quite have the same historical significance as "civil rights" for Black people in Mississippi. In most cases it would be a dauntings task to discern a persons sexual orientation at first glance. However, being covered in black or brown skin isn't quite so nuanced wouldn't you agree. I don't mean to be impertinent, but wouldn't having a museum for GLBT be rather like having a museum for people whole like red as opposed to green. El p.s. Tom Head, Go Toros!

El Canario

Sep 12 2006