Jackson Free Press

Tougaloo College President Beverly Hogan told The Clarion-Ledger today that a civil rights museum has been part of the college's "master plan" for years:

Hogan said the Mississippi National Civil Rights Museum has been a part of the college's vision for many years. "In fact, a civil rights museum has been on our campus master plan," Hogan said. "We believe that the symbiotic relationship between the college and the museum will make it a national attraction."

Previous Comments

ID

99510

Comment

I remember hearing the words "symbiotic relationship" at the commission meeting. That's when I knew for sure that it was over.

Author

LatashaWillis

Date

2008-03-16T13:11:34-06:00

ID

99511

Comment

Yeah and they called the people who rooted for a downtown location haters and liers. But we all see the deceit and thats why i wont support TOUGALOO"S civil rights Museum. So Haley Barbour JSU needs an on campus Stadium for Our own Economic Development how about giving us a stadium Like you gave TOUGALOO a civil rights MUSEUM. Ray Carter i see your school is honorable and honest, please man.

Author

NewJackson

Date

2008-03-17T08:00:30-06:00

ID

99512

Comment

Steve Rozman of Tougaloo writes to the Ledger today complaining about their editorial against the commission decision: However, your editorial in opposition to the commission's vote in favor of the Tougaloo College site was irresponsible in that it stirs the fires for a backlash against the decision and may have the effect of discouraging some people from providing the funding needed to build the civil rights museum. Is it remotely possible that the commission should have been wise enough to consider that the process, as it was overtaken to fulfill Tougaloo's long-term plan to have the museum on campus, was what set up the divisiveness in the first place? You can't do things the way the commission did, and expect us all to not notice or say anything -- it's an insult to Mississippians to think we'll always look the other way. And even though I do not agree with the tone of NewJack's post (or condone boycotting the museum in any way regardless of where it is), he does make a good point—the venom from the supporters of the Tougaloo museum against the opponents was extremely divisive. How many time did the word "hater" appear here, for instance? People who supported a downtown location, and who supported a more ethical, open process, to decide have been completely mischaracterized by Tougaloo supporters, even as we've made every effort to say how much we appreciate and support Tougaloo. Someone e-mailed me, for instance, that on another site—where anti-JFP apparently like to congregate these days to make up stuff about us—they stated as fact that I had bashed Beverly Hogan. This is a bald-faced lie, and I'm tired of my words being turned into something I didn't say by folks with a personal agenda. I, and many other Tougaloo supporters, criticized the process and said that she should have recused from the entire process if she was going to lobby on behalf of the museum being there, and that's before I saw that she told the Ledger yesterday that the museum has long been in the college's long-range plan. It is a mighty insult to a powerful and admirable woman to say that she cannot take above-the-board criticism because, what, the standard is different for her than for other people, why, because she's the president of a black college? That's absurd and mighty belittling to Dr. Hogan, and I suspect she would see that. There is a huge difference between legitimate criticism of one's public/official actions and personal attacks, and people in this town need to start learning the difference. Their rhetoric is what is dividing people the most, and I suspect that that is exactly their goal. We are all adults here, and adults with varying views should have been equally represented at the museum table without it being weighted toward one group or another. It is becoming more clear every day that there was a plan all around to put it at Tougaloo; what I am wondering is why the governor wasted time and money of citizens trying to pretend that it was something other than a way to rubberstamp that plan. The governor is responsible here for allowing this to happen. Had he insisted on fairness and sunshine, this divisiveness would not exist today. Funny how well that has played out among people who are usually united—often in their opposition to him. When someone with their own agenda plays favorites with a certain group, this is what happens. It is very sad.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2008-03-17T09:03:50-06:00

ID

99513

Comment

Ladd, I found it interesting that President Hogan said TC would donate (donate = $0.00 - right?) the land to the museum in exchange for an annual scholarship donation of $50,000. The donation would be in the form of a 99 year lease. $50,000 a year x 99 years = $4,950,000.00 (that's four million $). I haven't used my time value of money formulas in quite a while but I do know that the present value, future value, sinking fund value and amortized value of $0.00 will always be $0.00. Or does Tougaloo use a different set of formulas or operate in a different mathematical universe than the rest of us? Oh well, what's done is done. Congradulations to Tougaloo and the Eagle Queen! Moving ever onward and upward in positivity..... Now that the horse is out of the barn , in my opinion, it now behooves our elected city officials to aggressively open a dialogue and get a contract or at least a Memorandum of Understanding between the new Civil Rights Museum and the Smith Robertson Museum for a highly cooperative and mutually beneficial relationship to support both venues. Perhaps a "teaser exhibit" from the CRM at Smith Robertson as well as a shuttle bus connection between Smith Robertson and the CRM, etc. If you've visited the Clinton Museum in Arkansas you are familioar how they run a shuttle between the Clinton Museum and downtown simuiliar to what . Let's go City Council and Mayor Melton...let's step it up...make some lemonade from the fruits of your previous lack of labor.

Author

FrankMickens

Date

2008-03-17T09:59:10-06:00

ID

99514

Comment

Help me out, Casual, with more analysis of that deal. Does that sound smart? Who does it benefit the most? Break it down for those of us who haven't had enough coffee yet this morning.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2008-03-17T10:19:42-06:00

ID

99515

Comment

Ladd, This could be a good deal for everyone, the state, the City of Jackson and Tougaloo College..if our city fathers choose to look at it as an opportunity and, are willing to do the work necessary for the City of Jackson to capitalize on it. The benefits to the state are obvious...just look at the positive economic and image improving effects of similiar museums nation-wide. The benefits to Tougaloo are also obvious..provided Tougaloo was willing to make the investment that they did...donating the land in the form of a 99 year lease. Several court decisions on eminent domain cases involving the widening of County line Road has valued land in the area of the proposed site of the CRM to be $100,000 to $200,000 per acre, prior to the current improvements to Countyline Road. When the improvements are completed, the value of the land will increase further. Basically what TC has done by donating the land is to make an investment that improves the economic feasibility of the project. With a 99 year lease in hand the proposed CRM Commission has an ace on the table...control of the required land, at no up front cost. Tougaloo's request for the scholarship makes good economic sense to the school in two ways. They get an income stream in the form of scholarships, and they retain ownership of the land (they can still get a loan against the value of the land in the future if they need to). What does Jackson get? Well if the City Fathers are smart enough to envision and invest the necessary funding, they can , for example, create, and sell, a franchise for a private company to manage the pricing, marketing, communications, and transportation between our current and proposed downtown entertainment and cultural venues. For example New York City has their 1) CityPass program (get admission to several cultural and entertainment venues at a discounted price), 2) A cultural bus tour of Harlem (a Civil Rights Bus Tour of the City of Jackson...the route has already been defined and established!). Both of these programs required the cooperation of many different entities but most importantly the private sector. The decision the City of Jackson has is deciding if the city will use it's resources to garner the myriad of agreements between the various government owned cultural venues necessary to entice the private sector to begin the planning and implementation of a coordinated City of Jackson cultural and entertainment destination marketing plan. In my opinion the Convention and Visitors Bureau has not done a good job of this. Not because they don't have talented people, but because they lack the profit motive and creativity of the private sector. But that's another story, and another opinion of mine. The city also gets to keep the land they were willing to donate to the CRM, which would be another non-profit entity = no real estate tax income. This land can now be bundled, packageded and marketed so it can be sold or leased to the tax generating the private sector. In my opinion the city (and the county as well) already has more than enough land in the downtown area to grow and expand, if they start immediately to put together a master plan that envisions using a brand new form of construction...multi-story buildings! Anyway, I'm happy for Tougaloo, and the State of Mississippi for the obvious benefits they will realize from this long in coming project. As for the City of Jackson...the jury is still out.

Author

FrankMickens

Date

2008-03-17T11:31:29-06:00

ID

99516

Comment

Casual, I get alot of that and alot of that makes sense. Particularly, the marriage between the CRM and Smith-Robertson, along with the transportation arrangement. But we need the city of Jackson to begin working on projects that allow the city to benefit. Move now, not 3 years from now...

Author

lanier77

Date

2008-03-18T09:19:29-06:00

ID

99517

Comment

I like what I am hearing from LW, and the email thread that is going around, about a "History of Jackson" museum! I hope it moves forward.

Author

pikersam

Date

2008-03-18T10:19:13-06:00

ID

99518

Comment

History of Jackson? Think they'll get it right?

Author

Ironghost

Date

2008-03-18T15:18:06-06:00

ID

99519

Comment

Iron, my suggestion about the museum was that everything would be included - the good and the bad. The Department of Archives is working on a museum of MS history, but the history of this state is so rich that I'm afraid that a lot of things about Jackson may be left out.

Author

LatashaWillis

Date

2008-03-19T07:35:27-06:00