Sunday morning in Jackson, Mississippi found me at Mt Helm Baptist Church for their Christmas Celebration service. Established in 1835, Mt Helm is the oldest African-American church in Jackson and began with enslaved members worshipping in the basement of First Baptist Church. Mt Helm became a separate church in 1867 and today this congregation stands proud and welcoming to anyone visiting their church.
We visited the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum and became immersed in history as the museum took us right back to the first slaves being brought from Africa to American shores and then led us through a national timeline up until today. The museum itself is constructed very cleverly, in a way that took us through eight galleries covering the different chapters of Mississippi’s freedom struggle. Addressing dark periods of time that included education and health inequalities, lynchings, unfair trials, the presence of the Klu Klux Klan and the loss of countless lives, these stories are supported by an underlying wave of strength, courage, vision and determination as the Civil Rights Movement swelled and flourished despite these barriers. There are tributes to the Freedom Riders, those who carried out sit-ins and the family members who fought for justice following the senseless loss of loved ones.
The galleries are designed around a central gallery called This Little Light Of Mine which features a dramatic light structure and music of the Movement, honouring civil rights activists who gave their lives for the cause. It is a museum that evokes many different reactions; it is confronting, heartbreaking and inspiring and represents a struggle that is beyond our comprehension. The Mississippi Civil Rights Museum is well worth a visit for anyone visiting Jackson.
In search of Christmas festivity we headed up the road to the town of Canton where the Courthouse Square was lit up with Christmas lights and inundated with children who were super excited at the prospect of Santa arriving. Which was surprisingly charming considering we are not usually charmed by squealing children – it must have been all the bright lights affecting us 😂
Taking heed of our first tornado warnings received over the radio, we headed south to Biloxi. As we stood on the fine white sand of the beach we got our first sight of the Gulf of Mexico. We also had a milestone realisation: we have now stood on all four sides of the country 😊
Mississippi, our stay with you has been short but you have left a lasting impression on us. You have been so friendly and so welcoming and we thank you very much!
S&P