Jackson Free Press

A Civil Rights museum commission appointed by Gov. Haley Barbour approved the location of a planned National Civil Rights Museum Tuesday with a 22-to-9 vote in favor of a controversial site near Tougaloo College. Commission members, including Tougaloo President Beverly Hogan, voted in favor of the Tougaloo location despite outcry from advocates of a location in Jackson.

Commission member and Jackson City Council President Leslie McLemore was one of the nine present members who opposed the Tougaloo location. "Locating the museum in downtown Jackson is, by far, the best location. Considering the number of people who visit downtown Jackson and the number of fine institutions already here, we don't need to locate this museum in splendid isolation at Tougaloo," McLemore said. "The Mississippi Museum of Art, the Smith Robertson Museum and Cultural Center—all of these institutions can and should interface with the National Civil Rights Museum."

Former Mayor Kane Ditto described the Civil Rights Movement as an urban movement, not a suburban movement, and believed the museum should rightfully be placed in the capital city. Ditto said he could not shake the feeling that the commission had intended for Tougaloo to be the location since the beginning.

"I'm concerned about the process. I think (commission members) should vote in a secret ballot because I fear there are folks in this room who feel like this is a train going down a track that they can do very little about," Ditto said. "I spoke to a commission member who wrote me an e-mail two months ago saying he entirely agreed with my position ... but when I talked to this person the other day he said, ‘Well, this is a done deal.'"

Ditto pointed out that the initial design of the museum heavily supports a pastoral location. "(LaPaglia and Associates) have (been told) to design a museum that has to go on a suburban site," Ditto argued.

Commission Co-Chairman Reuben Anderson, a Tougaloo graduate, insisted the location was not already chisled in stone. "There has been no train," he told Ditto. "There has been no effort to stuff anything down any commissioner's throat in this process."

"And I would never accuse you of that, Reuben," Ditto said.

"I thought I heard that," Anderson quipped.

"I said ‘the process,'" Ditto corrected.

LaPaglia & Associates President Pete LaPaglia said attendance rates at the Museum of Natural Science and the Mississippi Agriculture Museum surpassed the downtown tourist attractions.

"You have two major museums out there on Lakeland Drive. The Mississippi Museum of Natural Science draws 122,000 people a year. The Agricultural Museum draws 100,000. The four museums downtown, Manship House, the Governor's Mansion, the art museum and Smith Robertson combined draw less than 73,000 people total," LaPaglia said, making no reference to the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum, also sited on Lakeland Drive, which took in only 35,000 visitors in 2007.

Ben Allen, president of Downtown Jackson Partners, which invested about $30,000 to promote a downtown site, pointed out that LaPaglia made no note of the Old Capitol Museum, currently undergoing renovation and repair, but expected to draw 180,000 annual visitors. Allen added that LaPaglia's suggestion of the negative impact of urban blight upon downtown tourist sites seemingly had no effect upon the Jackson Zoological Park. The Jackson Zoo features no access route that does not traverse a blighted area.

"The Jackson Zoo, which is in a blighted area, draws more people every year than any other place in the state except the Vicksburg National Military Park," Allen said. "Frankly, if you want to compare an $80 million museum (on Lakeland Drive) to Smith Robertson, I think your figures are clearly flawed."

LaPaglia insisted that the report is only a reflection of his company's commitment to the Civil Rights Museum. "I only have one client, and that is the National Civil Rights Museum of Mississippi ... I'm telling you what's best for my client. I can tell you that downtown is limiting as far as this museum goes," LaPaglia said.

Commission member and Moss Point Mayor Xavier Bishop criticized the city of Jackson for not chasing the project earlier. Allen and Downtown Jackson Partners campaigned for the project, investing time and money as soon as Allen joined the association as president. Before Allen's arrival, however, the city seemingly had no full-time employee lobbying for a city location.

Jackson Mayor Frank Melton issued a March 10 statement advocating a downtown location, and attended a public meeting arguing for a downtown museum last month. But Melton's personal input prior to his 2008 activism, according to many commission members, seemed to be limited to him removing a Lakeland Drive potential site from the commission's list of prospects hours before its first vote last year. (The Jackson Convention & Visitors Bureau had suggested a site near the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame & Museum as a potential location, but the city cited issues surrounding clear-cutting nearby Jamie Fowler Boyll Park.)

"This effort by the city should have been done sooner, when this process had begun," Bishop said. "This argument should have come forth sooner. Tougaloo College made its case and did everything it could to show it would be a willing partner in the success of this museum ... I think the city of Jackson has the capability of becoming a world-class city, but a world-class city does not wait until the 11th hour or the 12th hour to make its case on something as significant as a museum. I think there's much to be learned in this for all of us." Bishop said.

Jackson resident and hip-hop entertainer Kamikaze, who has lobbied heavily for the Jackson location, agreed with Bishop in faulting the city.

"When somebody has a relevant argument on the opposing side, I have no choice but to agree with it, and what (Bishop) said was probably the most on-point thing anybody has said on the other side of this issue," Kamikaze said after the vote. "Not only am I disappointed in the people who voted for this Tougaloo location, but I'm disappointed in the city leadership that allowed this to happen. We lost another potential boost to our economy. We already lost Trustmark Park, and we've now lost the Civil Rights Museum, and if we do not do something with our city leadership to avert that from happening, it's going to happen again and again and again until there's nothing in Jackson anymore."

Previous Comments

ID

99251

Comment

I knew it but its sad still that they would ignore the will of the people for their own selfish reason, like i said i will never support the Museum. Thanks haley barbour and Tougaloo.

Author

NewJackson

Date

2008-03-11T11:29:24-06:00

ID

99252

Comment

Just got back from the meeting, and I must say that I am disappointed about the outcome. However, I do appreciate the efforts that Dr. McLemore, Ben Allen, Susan Lunardini, Charles Evers and Kane Ditto made to try to get the commission to vote for a downtown Jackson location. I could tell when the meeting started that either everyone had already made up their mind or that people were afraid to change their mind. Also, their decision to vote by a show of hands instead of a secret ballot probably put added pressure on the commission members. Ditto made a statement that one of the members that voted by proxy had recently changed his mind about the Tougaloo location, but he voted for it anyway because he felt like the whole thing was a done deal. I think two other things that influened the final vote were that: * Reuben Anderson said that if the commission went against the recommendation of the consultants, that would make it harder to secure funding for the museum. [cough] scare tactic [/cough] * LaPaglia said that it would be easier for the museum to expand in the future if it were at Tougaloo. He said they could add things like a conference center. Of course, there would have been no need for that since Jackson will already have a convention center. I wish more downtown supporters were able to come, but I sure that having this important vote the same day as the primaries had a negative effect on turnout. I really hope that the museum turns out to be a success, especially since there is a 99-year lease involved with the promise of $50,000 a year going to Tougaloo for scholarships and Tougaloo students being able to work at the museum. Well, can't say we didn't try.

Author

LatashaWillis

Date

2008-03-11T11:51:20-06:00

ID

99253

Comment

One more thing: one of the commission memebers, a Chicago native, said that even though the ones who were for a downtown location made good arguments, pro-downtown people shouldn't have started making their case "at the eleventh hour" and that this should be a "lesson learned." Anyone who is familiar with the eleventh-hour parable knows that those who started working at the end of the day got the same pay as those who worked at the beginning. When the arguments were made has nothing to do with the validity of the argument itself.

Author

LatashaWillis

Date

2008-03-11T11:59:47-06:00

ID

99254

Comment

Like i said i'am pissed Jackson got walked over again, this is not a moral victory its a sad defeat. I do hope the Museum fails, y'all wanna sit here and still try look at this as a win. I want support it because this dosen't represent civil rights, it represents lies and selfishness. I hope it fails and i cant wait until they build a real civil rights Museum that has an inclusive process and that includes everyone. There i said it ban me but we need to start a change. We always come back to this site in defeat, The frank Melton trail we came back in disbelief how wrong overcame right and this is the same kind of situation. Iam tired of this mess in Jackson and Mississippi. Black sellouts, iam moving forget fighting this fixed fight with only moral victories. PEACE

Author

NewJackson

Date

2008-03-11T12:05:46-06:00

ID

99255

Comment

One highlight of the meeting was that after Charles Evers said he wanted the museum downtown, Anderson said that Evers would be included in the museum, and he mumbled something like, "I don't need that." I couldn't hear him clearly, but it made everyone laugh. Someone else mentioned Evers again later on, but it didn't change his vote. I sure would like to know what he has to say about the results. When does his radio show come on?

Author

LatashaWillis

Date

2008-03-11T12:13:07-06:00

ID

99256

Comment

As I said elsewhere, Congratulations to Tougaloo College and its supporters efforts to have the museum located near campus. Now if both sides of the argument will put down their swords and join together to push this project forward, hopefully we can see some dirt turning on- site in a short time.

Author

Jeff Lucas

Date

2008-03-11T12:19:15-06:00

ID

99257

Comment

Oh well, another great decision (/sarcasm). Civil rights museum and a AA baseball stadium would have been awesome downtown...

Author

QB

Date

2008-03-11T12:38:24-06:00

ID

99258

Comment

L.W., Evers' show ("Let's Talk") airs Wednesday nights at 8 on WMPR, 90.1 FM.

Author

Kacy

Date

2008-03-11T12:46:46-06:00

ID

99259

Comment

At the very least, Beverly Hogan should have recused herself from the discussions as well as abstained from voting, for obvious reasons.

Author

Kacy

Date

2008-03-11T12:49:01-06:00

ID

99260

Comment

Clearly, Ms. Hogan did not feel that she needed to. And to be honest, that might bug me the most here.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2008-03-11T12:51:03-06:00

ID

99261

Comment

...hopefully we can see some dirt turning on- site in a short time. jeff lucas Call me when they raise the railroad. I really hope that the museum turns out to be a success, especially since there is a 99-year lease involved with the promise of $50,000 a year going to Tougaloo for scholarships and Tougaloo students being able to work at the museum. LW Yeah, just f#$% the kids at JSU or even at Milsaps or Belhaven for that matter. S.E.L.F.I.S.H.

Author

pikersam

Date

2008-03-11T13:20:59-06:00

ID

99262

Comment

Well people swallow hard and keep fighting like obama said just have hope

Author

NewJackson

Date

2008-03-11T13:41:47-06:00

ID

99263

Comment

i understand the profound disappointment by many jacksonians with the museum going to tougaloo, but two things: 1. if it's gonna be at tougaloo, then we have to ban together to make sure that it's the best that it can be and it doesn't become just another thing that starts out really nice but ends up run-down in mississippi. wishing it ill will only hurt jackson, not make it look better. to out of towners like myself, tougaloo is considered to be part of jackson, even though its technically not. 2. this should be taken as a mandate for jacksonians to step our collective game up. even with the $700 million or so of construction in downtown, it's not enough. the infrastructure in the city is crumbling beneath us. downtown needs a lot more than a few new buildings, it needs a total makeover, and it's gonna be difficult to get attractions like the museum to move there. Even if this was a conspiracy to benefit tougaloo, jackson should take this as a challenge to strengthen its infrastructure.

Author

eyerah

Date

2008-03-11T14:05:14-06:00

ID

99264

Comment

Well, it shouldn't matter were the museum is located. NewJack, if you will not support the museum at Tougaloo then you more than likely wouldn't have supported it in Jackson. I live and work in Madison after living 32 years (brief stint in Memphis, TN) in Jackson and there are things that I will support no matter where I live. Yes, I will drive from Gluckstadt to Valley Street for some Eddie and Ruby's catfish. The family visits the Natural Science Museum, the Museum of Art and the Planetarium…all traveling from Madison County. I am an American with African decent and teaching my children our history is most important to me. Therefore, no matter the location of the museum we will be there.

Author

Big Tee

Date

2008-03-11T14:06:44-06:00

ID

99265

Comment

Well, unfortunately it will matter. And it matters to me that Tougaloo pride just handed Haley Barbour a major victory—a way to say he helped bring a civil rights museum to Mississippi, and then tuck it away in a corner. He's good at having it both ways: Pandering to the CofCC for votes; getting his picture on their site, and then criticizing them, but without asking them to take the picture down. Because he couldn't do that, you know. That would p!ss off too much of his target audience. And the whole thing helps Charles Pickering's legacy in the same way. It's brilliant to enlist Tougaloo loyalty and financial needs to help make that happen Barbour and Pickering. Well done. I hope it succeeds as well. I fear that such a secret, cheat-filled process is not good karma, though.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2008-03-11T14:21:28-06:00

ID

99266

Comment

And if I may add: It has been chilling to watch civil rights heroes and others band together in a weird sort of elitism to say that downtown Jackson—Farish, for God's sake, where Medgar's office was—is too "blighted" (does anyone ever call a poor white neighborhood "blighted"? Just wondering) for a civil rights museum to go there. Were city neighborhoods too "blighted" for great civil rights leaders of the past to work in order to bring cultural, political and economic equality to people relegated to city ghettos? I sure wish we could know what some of the leaders who will be honored in that museum would think of the need to put the museum away from the "blighted" areas that resulted from our years of segregation that many of them died to end? Wouldn't the great leaders of the past want a museum to their efforts to go in the place where it could potentially help poor African Americans the most!?! In a place where it would help clean up blight? Of course, they might not have envisioned the people making the decision and recommendation being older white folks from Tennessee. But still. How hard is it to see the irony in all the Tougaloo supporters saying this is not supposed to be about helping the Farish area, and thus the majority-black capital city around it, economically. Elitism knows no color.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2008-03-11T14:24:58-06:00

ID

99267

Comment

Corner or not...me and my family support the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum regardless of its location. Maybe I am missing something...Haley...Chip? If we allow the museum to fail because of how it came to be then WE are to blame....

Author

Big Tee

Date

2008-03-11T14:33:18-06:00

ID

99268

Comment

I didn't say allow it to fail. The point is that it may not be up to us if the location is too out of the way. Or if the infrastructure costs are so great that it gets blocked somehow. I didn't say anything about Chip. We're talking about his father—the judge who ran Bush's first campaign in Mississippi. The one who wasn't so sure about one-man-one-vote. That one.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2008-03-11T14:35:31-06:00

ID

99269

Comment

wow...i feel you on how chilling things can be...like white folk pretending to understand what is means to be 'black in america'. I wear a suit on some days adn jeans on other days but no matter what I have on let me get on an elevator in MISSISSIPPI (and other parts of the country as well) and watch all the white women huddle in the conrner and move their purses to their sides opposite me...pls!

Author

Big Tee

Date

2008-03-11T14:38:55-06:00

ID

99270

Comment

LaPaglia insisted that the report is only a reflection of his company’s commitment to the Civil Rights Museum. “I only have one client, and that is the National Civil Rights Museum of Mississippi ... I’m telling you what’s best for my client. I can tell you that downtown is limiting as far as this museum goes,” LaPaglia said. Absolute bunk! This from the same guy that put Smith Wills as site number 1! LOL! Yeah, the Civil Rights museum needed to go in Eastover! LOL! Seriously. We pay for this information folks!

Author

pikersam

Date

2008-03-11T15:06:22-06:00

ID

99271

Comment

Big Tee i stay in Jackson and we are the only one in the metro taking a hit from cooperation, everybody says we need to stop fighting each other, for what when all other cities fight for whats rightly Jackson's. We Trustmark Park already lost celluar south and on and on any you want us to say "its better to give than receive" and just because they deem this as a civil rights Museum dosen't mean its one. A republican Haley Barbour chooses a committee thats stacked with Tougaloo People and expects everybody to get along when Tougaloo goes from Ten To One. Big TEE i still want support it and call me what you want but i aint no fool and refuse to lay down for some kind of right.

Author

NewJackson

Date

2008-03-11T15:38:21-06:00

ID

99272

Comment

Well, they did select probably the least diverse site offered. Certainly, I do wish the museum and Tougaloo a bright future.

Author

ChrisCavanaugh

Date

2008-03-11T15:46:06-06:00

ID

99273

Comment

Yeah, just f#$% the kids at JSU or even at Milsaps or Belhaven for that matter. S.E.L.F.I.S.H. Pike, I figured you would enjoy that curveball. I was taken aback myself. Commission Co-Chairman Reuben Anderson, a Tougaloo graduate, insisted the location was not already chisled in stone. "There has been no train," he told Ditto. "There has been no effort to stuff anything down any commissioner's throat in this process." Donna, what did you say about passive voice? :-) He did that quite a bit.

Author

LatashaWillis

Date

2008-03-11T15:53:41-06:00

ID

99274

Comment

Can I ask why, if the consultants wanted a place that represented the cradle of the Civil Rights Movement all along, then why had they at first wanted Smith-Wills stadium? Someone made this point in e-mail, and it sure points out a big inconsistency here. The whole thing doesn't compute. Yes, I do hate to hear them pit Tougaloo students against JSU students like this. Man. We've long complained about the white community's treatment of Jackson State; I sure hate to see this come from inside the black community. I don't know anyone (OK, except maybe NewJack) who has disparaged Tougaloo College in all this; but I do know plenty of Tougaloo supporters who have pretended that is happening because people have the good sense to challenge a situation that has been handled in the dark and so poorly. The Commission has done nothing to alleviate the concern about conflict of interest, financial or otherwise. That is their responsibility. I would urge everyone to not consider this over. This process needs to be challenged in every way possible. If not, Jackson will consider to have decisions rammed down our throats due to back-room meetings and people with specific agendas. That has long happened in this state; just because it's now a rainbow coalition doing it does not make it any more right. Perhaps we can all meet in secret and vote out of paying the infrastructure taxes to help the new planned development? We shouldn't have to pay them if we weren't involved in how the decisions were made.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2008-03-11T16:20:23-06:00

ID

99275

Comment

its war jackson, yall can sit back if you want, but iam finna stand up and fight.

Author

NewJackson

Date

2008-03-12T08:08:35-06:00

ID

99276

Comment

You suggest that this process might not be over? What options or other opportunities are there? Unless the city of Jackson gets off it's collective butt & screams foul, I'm wondering what else could be done. I'm convinced that the building plans will be scaled back after the costs to build up the area's infrastructure are way more than originally proposed. And you know what, the light bulb went off in my head. You guys are right, this musuem was intended for Tougaloo from Day One!

Author

lanier77

Date

2008-03-12T08:11:43-06:00

ID

99277

Comment

lanier77, You just may be right, but they surely did take a long route to get there and an expensive one. Me thinks that they just didn't want Downtown Jackson. Sort of an "anywhere but there" attitude.

Author

ChrisCavanaugh

Date

2008-03-12T16:24:19-06:00

ID

99278

Comment

If you were able to see the rendering of what they wanted the museum to look like, you could tell it was meant for a more suburban or rural location. I wish I had a picture of it.

Author

LatashaWillis

Date

2008-03-12T16:40:35-06:00

ID

99279

Comment

Question. Is there any way to file suit against the commission for conflict of interest. And File suit to stop any further progress on the Museum like finalization of the location and construction. I think we have means to still fight this.

Author

NewJackson

Date

2008-03-13T09:51:10-06:00

ID

99280

Comment

I'm not sure. The involvement of elected officials, as well as the promise of use of public money, and who will benefit from it (potentially including the college who had people on the decision-making committee; the developers who clearly want the taxpayer-paid infrastructure (any donations to any elected official on the commission? to Barbour?); the consultants who someone hired to seek a "pastoral" setting, and so on) the, is something to look closer at. There should have been sunshine in this process at the least. I wouldn't suggest just shrugging and giving up on this until all the questions have been answered, and we know exactly who is going to benefit from our tax dollars. Now they're tainted by the perception that the lack of sunshine gives off.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2008-03-13T09:59:45-06:00

ID

99281

Comment

Yeah i think a revote is in order, We need to do whats in the best interest of This Museum not Tougaloo. I think Tougaloo will find out that they bit off more than they can handle. And its a consensus from everybody that it needs to be downtown, and that everybody is who the state is relying on to support the Museum. Until the first brick is laid this isn't over. They tried to squeeze this past us and didnt know that we would make some noise because The beloved Tougaloo was involved.

Author

NewJackson

Date

2008-03-13T10:09:33-06:00

ID

99282

Comment

The way Tougaloo was chosen was wrong, they stacked the deck. I don't know if legal action would hurt the museum or not, but as you have said NewJack you won't go to the museum if it's built at Tougaloo, you will get people who will not visit it if it's built downtown because Jackson and supporters of a downtown took legal action. I think the whole commission needs to be scrapped and the process started over with a more balance/fairer commission and a different consultanting firm. That will push back the project but might be best in the long run.

Author

BubbaT

Date

2008-03-13T10:14:48-06:00

ID

99283

Comment

I agree Bubba it should not be controversy behind this Civil Rights Museum, And For Beverly Hogan to say "all the opposition was much to do about nothin" Makes me see that she is arrogant and closed minded and she sees is Tougaloo and whats in the best interest of Tougaloo and since shes like that, thats the reason theres a major conflict of interest. The commission was formed to find the best location for the Museum not for whats in the best Interest of TOUGALOO.

Author

NewJackson

Date

2008-03-13T10:26:18-06:00

ID

99284

Comment

"The commission was formed to find the best location for the Museum." Or the best interest for Baurber and his constituents.... He's a crook as far as I'm concerned.

Author

Senab

Date

2008-03-13T10:50:55-06:00