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In the heart of a stretch of southwest Mississippi sits Prospect Hill, a link to the past that stretches across the globe

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2 years ago

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Prospect Hill, a preserved, abandoned building hidden deep in the woods of Jefferson County, Mississippi, is a connection to the history of Liberia in West Africa and to the lives of descendant communities of over 300 enslaved-ancestors from Mississippi. 

Former slaves of Capt. Isaac Ross established the Liberian colony known as “Mississippi-in-Africa”, as called for in his will.

Shawn Lambert, assistant professor of anthropology at Mississippi State University, began an excavation of the site June 18, assisted by James Andrew Whitaker, a cultural anthropologist.

A foundation in the ground adjacent to the big house, barely noticeable, is the primary focus during this first broad excavation. Lambert and Whitaker believe many of the enslaved people worked and lived in what could be a dependency, or kitchen house.

With help from participants from the public, they unearthed evidence on the 23.3 acres dating around the early 1800s to late 1800s supporting their hypothesis about the lives and cultural activity: gunflints, chunks of rock used to generate sparks to ignite gunpowder; leadshots, originally used in muskets and early rifles; a 4- to 7-inch knife-blade; dark, rich green fragments possibly from a wine bottle, white pieces from a ceramic plate, and cut (tapered-rectangular) and square (hand-forged) nails.

“These artifacts don’t just provide insight into the daily lives of the people who lived and the tools utilized in their world, but the environment and landscape of how they interacted with each other,” Lambert told Mississippi Today.

Chance Carden, project manager of Research and Curriculum at Mississippi State University, excavates a sectioned off area of what is thought to be a kitchen area, while Shawn Lambert, assistant professor of anthropology at MSU, shows shards of glass bottles found at the Prospect Hill Plantation in Lorman, Tuesday, June 20, 2023. Lambert said the rainbow-like patina on the glass shards is the soil eating away at the glass like a fungus. Credit: Vickie D. King/Mississippi Today

Lambert and Whitaker began the archaeological excavation of the Lorman plantation site to understand how aspects of material and social culture from the slaves’ lives in Mississippi were carried through this transAtlantic reverse migration.

As leader of the excavation, Lambert taught the participants archaeological methods and ethical archaeology to have a more “holistic narrative” of what occurred at Prospect Hill.

Nikki Mattson, a Southeast field representative for the Archaeological Conservancy, participated in the dig because she came across the book “Mississippi in Africa” by Alan Huffman around 15 years ago. She said she was at a place and time in her life where she was questioning a lot of the “deep inherent things” she was taught growing up in the Mississippi Delta, and the book was a pivotal moment for her.

After gaining her master’s degree in archaeology, she applied to the conservancy and found that it owned that property. Mattson said she takes any chance to be involved seriously.

“Even though these artifacts might seem kind of insignificant, little things to some people, it’s really huge,” Mattson explained. “It’s all these little pieces of a bigger story, and that’s exciting.”

Finding materials at the site and combining them with historical records to gain a better understanding of the past, while providing a learning experience, Lambert said.

“I think working at this site and working with the descendant communities can have a positive effect on people who come and work. (We can) realize the history and acknowledge the history that has gone on here,” Lambert said.

He said he believes this type of fieldwork can educate people statewide. By looking at the shapes, colors and textures of found artifacts, he can uncover the history of a place and reveal aspects of life that would otherwise be lost.

“I think archaeology is a powerful tool (that allows us) to talk about history and a history that maybe Mississippi doesn’t talk about a lot,” Lambert explained, “our history of enslavement.”

Jerrell Hutson of Clinton and his daughter, Ellen Brewer of Oxford, excavate a plot of land believed to be in the kitchen area at Prospect Hill Platation in Lorman, Tuesday, June 20, 2023. Credit: Vickie D. King/Mississippi Today

Whitaker, a cultural anthropologist, began his research in West Africa and talked with descendants and some indigenous people not related to the Mississippi settlers.

This summer, he conducted 12 interviews in Liberia, along with 52 last summer in Monrovia and different locations of Sinoe County, Liberia, (the capital of Greenville, Louisiana and Lexington). His research inspired the idea for this excavation.

“This kind of research uncovers aspects about settlement and the history of Liberia as it relates to the United States,” Whitaker continued, “and also as it precedes those interactions with the United States by a long time.”

Whitaker said he and Lambert are attempting to trace this cultural movement, through this collaborative project with the Archaeological Conservancy and the descendant communities of the enslaved ancestors along with grants funded by the Mississippi Humanities Council and Mississippi State University Global Grant.

“We want to understand more about the lives of the people who never went to Liberia and also the ones who later became the first American LIberian settlers.” Whitaker said. “We’re hoping to follow up this excavation with a second one, maybe one or two years from now, to map the material culture in Mississippi to the material culture in Liberia.”

Through this mapping, they aim to uncover aspects of ancestors’ lives in Mississippi that were carried with them and trace the changes in the social lives of those same people.

“I think using the power of archaeology to connect the past with today is powerful,” Lambert said. “This is the beginning of what could be something a lot larger and much more special for research and this community.”

The excavation continues through June 28.

Revolutionary War veteran Capt. Issac Ross founded Prospect Hill in the woods of former Mississippi Territory around 1808.

Traveling from South Carolina to Jefferson County, Mississippi, Ross brought hundreds of slaves and freed Black people he served with in the Revolutionary War.

Soon, his accumulated wealth allowed him access to more acreage and slaves. He allowed his slaves to read and write, illegal at the time in Mississippi. They also learned skills and trades.

When Ross prepared his will in 1834, he stipulated that his plantation should be sold and the proceeds used to pay for his slaves’ passage to the newly established colony of Liberia in western Africa formed by a branch of the American Colonization Society, the Mississippi Colonization Society, of which he was a member.

He didn’t want families separated, and those who remained at the plantation would work for pay and be considered free men. The will stipulated his plans would be set in motion once his daughter, Margaret Allison Reed, passed away. Ross died two years after the will was drawn up, and Reed shortly after in 1838.

Faded and nearly unreadable, the grave monuement of Prospect Hill Plantation owner Isaac Ross, in the family cemetery on the grounds of the plantation in Lorman, Tuesday, June 20, 2023. Credit: Vickie D. King/Mississippi Today

It was left to Isaac Ross Wade, son of Jane Brown Ross (one of Capt. Ross’ three daughters) and the executor of the will, to uphold the will’s provisions. Instead, Wade contested the will’s legitimacy for more than a decade. 

He stopped the slaves from gaining their freedom, leading to a revolt. The mansion burned to the ground in April 1846 under alleged suspicious circumstances, taking the life of a 6-year-old girl. Overseers, hearing rumors of the slaves’ plot to kill the family, lynched at least 11 slaves believed to be involved.

A few months later, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Ross’s will. About 120 of Ross’ 160 slaves left for Africa, while the others remained in Jefferson County as slaves. In total, the coalition society arranged for 300 free ex-slaves to travel to Africa.

The plantation house was finally sold in 1848, but the African colony received none of the proceeds. The house returned to Wade’s possession in 1850, and he built the present-day house there in 1854.

The home survived the Civil War and Wade’s death in 1891. After Wade’s death, his brother Battaille Harrison “BH” Wade retained ownership of the house. From 1956 onward, descendants of those enslaved occupied the house. And in 1968, others occupied the site until it became unlivable through neglect.

It wasn’t until 2011 when the Archaeological Conservancy acquired the property that the preservation of the historical site started.

The existence of this rare Mississippi plantation site spans over two continents and over 200 years, with history embedded in its grounds.

“We know a lot about what went on inside the big house. It’s the other side of the story we want to know (such as) the enslaved people who built it and kept it running and the people who have ties to it,” Jessica Crawford, the Southeast Regional director of the Archaeological Conservancy, told Mississippi Today.

The Archaeological Conservancy primarily works on archaeological evidence buried in the ground. However, Crawford convinced her board of directors to consider Prospect Hill because of the site’s significant history.

As of 2023, Crawford said she is talking to architects to draw a blueprint to preserve the house. She also talked to a private donor who is willing to pay for the proposed plan.

“There’s a lot of work that needs to be done to keep it standing. I don’t know specifically where we will start yet,” Crawford said.

A look inside the old Prospect Hill Plantation in Lorman, Tuesday, June 20, 2023. Credit: Vickie D. King/Mississippi Today

Parts of the house are rotting from previous rains. Plaster on the walls is cracking and falling onto the rotten wooden floor, making it dangerous to walk on. The original porch has not been rebuilt. Termites are eating away at newly constructed wood. In addition, the site lacks water due to lack of community water in the rural area.

“We don’t plan to restore it to some grand plantation house. We want floors so it’s better and safer to walk on,” Crawford explained. “We eventually hope to use it for things like public archaeology events, like this one, and public outreach events like an open house.”

In 2012, one year after the Archaeological Conservancy acquired the site and 3.1 acres, the organization acquired an additional 20 acres. There were many projects to focus on, but replacing the roof was a major concern. The 2017 roof installation was a critical step in preserving the home’s flooring.

“I used to have probably 25 kiddie swimming pools in there catching water every time it rained and that roof absolutely saved it,” Crawford continued. “It’s still dry when it rains, and it wasn’t (dry) for a long time.”

Crawford raised money through donations and grants separate from the organization’s regular funding sources to pay for the new roofing and stabilization of the roofing, which cost $114,611.

The Conservancy obtained a $50,000 emergency preservation grant from the Mississippi Department of Archives and History and raised additional needed capital from donations.

“This place was saved from falling on the ground by a bunch of people. It wasn’t just me, it was a lot of people who cared and came out and gave money and gave time. People volunteered out there so much,” Crawford told Mississippi Today.

“The story of this place is a small picture of what the larger world around us is like. There are a lot of stories there that need to be told. (The enslaved people) names should be known.”

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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A self-proclaimed ‘loose electron’ journeys through Jackson’s political class

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5 hours ago

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April 11, 2025

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mississippitoday.org – @mintamolly – 2025-04-11 11:56:00

by Molly Minta, Mississippi Today
April 11, 2025

The day after Tim Henderson finished third in Jackson’s mayoral primary, garnering 3,499 votes, the retired Air Force lieutenant colonel was planning to pack up his office at the Jackson Medical Mall and be out by the end of the week. 

Henderson figured that’s what losing candidates do. Then he said his older brother gave him a different perspective: Henderson had just established a base of people who had rejected the city’s status quo, and he shouldn’t let them down.

“That’s what happens all the time,” Henderson said. “Candidates show up, they don’t win, the stuff they talked about doing, they walk away, and they leave the people hanging, which is partly, probably why people have lost faith in the process.”

As the 54-year-old space industry consultant spoke with friends, family and politicos last week, he began to look at those 3,499 votes differently. Instead of an outright loss, the numbers seemed to represent something remarkable: In a city where name recognition is king, it took less than a year for Henderson to go from a name few knew to finishing just 786 votes shy of the incumbent, Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba.

He did it with a handful of volunteers and few connections to the city’s powerbrokers or politically connected church leaders or nonprofits. In fact, Henderson thinks his relatively little clout is precisely why he did so well.

“People insulate themselves inside of certain circles, and the problem a lot of people have with Henderson is I wasn’t connected or associated with any of those cliques,” he said. “People immediately started asking, who knows him?”

Now, Henderson is contemplating what he’s going to do next.

“I can be the mayor of the city hall, or I can be the mayor out here on the streets,” he said.

Beholden mainly to God and the truth, he said, he’s ready to talk – with little filter – about what Jackson needs to anyone who wants to listen. He described himself as “a loose neutron, or a loose electron, free radical.”

“Not radical in the sense of ‘radical’ but somebody that doesn’t have to be guarded in how I do things,” he said, adding, “Now I can say things other people can’t say and I can represent things the right way.” 

He’s not sure he’ll endorse anyone. Henderson said that in the past week, he’s met with the Lumumba campaign, as well as state Sen. John Horhn, whose 12,359 votes nearly preempted a runoff. To win the Democratic nomination outright, Horhn would have had to secure around 500 of the votes Henderson or 10 other candidates received.

Both asked what their campaigns needed to do to get Henderson’s support. He says he told them the same thing: Start an Office of Ethics and Accountability, one of his chief campaign goals. 

He wouldn’t say which candidate said what. But one told him they weren’t sure the city had the funding for it. He recalled the other asked if Henderson would work with them if they started an Office of Integrity, to which Henderson responded “only by my rules.” 

Through a spokesperson, Horhn said he wants to bring more accountability to the city’s procurement process and that his ongoing discussions with Henderson have been “productive.”

Horhn has been a senator representing parts of Jackson since the 1990s, and Lumumba is finishing his second term as mayor. If nothing has changed in the city in the last eight, or 32, years, Henderson reasons that’s because the people with power and connections, including those behind the scenes, don’t want change.

Former mayoral candidate Tim Henderson, shares a meme he posted on Facebook to reference his call to action to fight for the city, Wednesday, April 9, 2025, at his Jackson Medical Mall office. Henderson references the biblical Gideon and his fighting three-hundred that defeated an army of overwhelming numbers.

When Henderson moved back to the city two years ago, the Cleveland, Miss. native and Mississippi Valley State University graduate moved in with his brother, who lives in south Jackson. 

The retired military man had two goals in mind: Develop the vacant lots he owns near the Westside Community Center — a neighborhood called “the Sub” — and start a gourmet grocery store in downtown Jackson, hopefully on the first floor of the Lamar Life building owned by longtime downtown Jackson developer Andrew Mattiace. 

Henderson said he couldn’t find the funding – a common refrain in Jackson – or secure meetings with folks who might provide the funding. Still, his business endeavors bore political fruit as he met people he said encouraged him to run for mayor. That included Robert Gibbs, an attorney and developer who was working to convene a group of community and business leaders to secure a new city leader. The coalition assumed the name Rethink Jackson.

Last year, Gibbs invited Henderson to meet with Rethink Jackson members and others at the Capital Club, a highrise bar owned by Mattiace. The group was looking for a candidate to support, but Henderson recalled that Gibbs told him the meeting was not “an endorsement.” 

But when Henderson arrived, he says they kept him waiting in the lobby for 30 minutes before finally calling him up to meet with the dozen or so people in the room – mostly African American leaders – who were sitting at tables around the bar. 

Gibbs was there, so were Mattiace and Jeff Good, a local restauranteur. 

“Before we move forward, I want to make sure the air is clear: This is not an endorsement,” Henderson recalled telling the room. “And they’re like no, nope, it’s not an endorsement. I say well let me be clear you may not hear what you want to hear this evening. I’m only going to share what I’m comfortable sharing, because what I’m not going to do is have my information travel all across the city. Is that fair? That is fair, right? OK, so let’s talk.” 

When the group asked about economic development, Henderson said he brought up the Capitol Police, saying “I don’t care how much police security you put down here, you gotta put something in the parts of the city where people live,” meaning both safety and opportunity in west and south Jackson. 

“They can only rob other poor people so much,” Henderson said, to which he recalled the folks in the room “just looked at me.” 

Mattiace said he preferred not to comment on the election so he could remain neutral for the sake of his business. Good said he did not have a good memory of the meeting but added he thinks Henderson is a “good guy” and that’s why he did well at the polls.

Gibbs didn’t comment on the meeting but said he’s heavily involved in the Horhn campaign and doesn’t want to hurt it. He did speak to Rethink Jackson as a coalition, adding that the group also met with Horhn, Delano Funches, and Rodney DePriest, an independent, “to identify the person we felt would be the best person to lead the city of Jackson.” 

After meeting with him, Henderson said he told one of the folks that he wouldn’t be back – he had a campaign to run. He didn’t hear from the group again.

Rethink Jackson debated and took a vote on which candidates “could come in on day one and start doing the things we felt the city needed in order to turn around,” Gibbs said. 

“We had a vote, paper ballot voting, that we took so that people could not necessarily be influenced by someone who was in the room,” he added. 

Out of about 50 people, Gibbs said only one person was unsure of Horhn. The endorsement was a campaign score for the senator.

It wasn’t just the business community Henderson says did not ultimately align with his campaign. When he talks about the status quo he wants to undo, he means nonprofits, too.

On the campaign trail, Henderson committed to personally screening all nonprofits that receive city grant funds. He wanted to send out screening criteria, categorize all the buckets of grant funding the city was dispersing, and meet with each nonprofit. But if they didn’t show up, he said he would contact their other funders. 

He called this “a dogwhistle” –  a tell that he was on to them.

“You’re using my data,” he said. “As the mayor, it’s my data. And if you’re supposed to be working in this city, I want to know outcomes.” 

Jackson has an excess of nonprofits, Henderson said, that are all working to tackle similar social ills, from decreasing homelessness and youth violence to improving mental health. Some are doing good work and should be supported to leverage their resources. But for others, those missions are a “smokescreen,” Henderson said, and the problems remain. Coincidentally, this is a similar campaign pillar of conservative talk radio host and independent mayoral candidate Kim Wade.

“Here’s my concern: Things aren’t getting better because people don’t want them to get better,” Henderson said. “If you keep crime high, poverty high, you keep the education system where it is, you keep housing, the lack of affordable housing high, you keep jobs at the minimum wage – the only thing people have as an entry point, there’s no upward mobility. This city will never be what it can be. … Because if you wanted change, you’d work yourself out of a job.” 

Within city hall, Henderson said he wanted to “clear the slate” by rehiring every department head, putting out job descriptions, and hiring candidates with a blind application – no names, race or gender attached – to ensure that a person’s “connections” were not taken into account.

“Those connections over time is why we are the way we are,” he said. “Because the most qualified person is not who you’re hiring. You’re hiring someone connected to you.”

Make no mistake: Henderson made connections, too. He said two names include Shirlene Anderson, a former chief of police under Frank Melton, and Hank Anderson, a retired administrator for IBM who worked in former governor Ray Mabus’s administration. Anderson had approached Henderson after the February debate at Duling Hall and later advised him on how to keep his message straight. 

After that, Henderson made a point to answer questions as directly as he could during the candidate forums. He said he stressed: “public safety, cleaning it up, public safety, cleaning it up.”

Tim Henderson, a former candidate for mayor, at his Jackson Medical Mall office, Wednesday, April 9, 2025.

“Everybody else is talking about economic development and all this other stuff,” he said. “I’m like, either you don’t know what you’re talking about, or you’re playing the people, or it’s both. I’m like no, you can’t get any economic development with crime the way it is.” 

But perhaps the most important connection Henderson made during his run for office was with Sherri Jones, the first person to join the campaign and the station manager at WMPR. 

The pair formed a kinship over their deep skepticism of the city’s elite — Black and white, activists and church leaders, and especially the politicians and the business owners who seem to be looking out for their bottom line and not for the entire community. 

“You got two things you gone have to be aware of,” Jones said. “One is racism. The other is classism. Now, when you deal with the classicism, it’s about a certain group of people and a lot of them are African American and then they are connected with white people and they don’t really care if there’s racism involved or not because they got a certain agenda and it’s gonna always come back and be tied to money.” 

From the perspective of the leaders at the Capital Club, the business community wants to help Jackson, so finding a mayor who works with them will result in economic advancement across the city. 

Jones saw it differently.  

“It’s about contracts, it’s about being in charge of the decision, what’s going to stay open, what’s going to close, how things move,” Jones said. 

Nothing will change in Jackson if economic development does not include the entire city, Henderson said. South and west, too. 

The primary “wasn’t just about low voter turnout,” he said. “It actually speaks to the psychological impact that the environment and the quality of life has had on people, where they totally felt dejected, rejected and disconnected.” 

What he wants most of all is to bring back people’s confidence in Jackson and knows it won’t happen overnight. 

“It’s about empowering the people in the city to be able to believe in it again,” Henderson said. 

How’s he going to do that? He might start a nonprofit. 

Editor’s note: Mississippi Today is moving this summer into the Lamar Life Building, operated by Andrew Mattiace, in downtown Jackson.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

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Voters can help maintain city of progress in upcoming Jackson election

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6 hours ago

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April 11, 2025

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mississippitoday.org – @BobbyHarrison9 – 2025-04-11 10:55:00

by Javion Shed, Mississippi Today
April 11, 2025

Editor’s note: This essay is part of Mississippi Today Ideas, a platform for thoughtful Mississippians to share fact-based ideas about our state’s past, present and future. You can read more about the section here.

As Jackson’s mayoral race moves into the April 22 runoff, the future of our city hangs in the balance.

This election is not just about who will sit in City Hall. It is about the direction of our city for years to come. Jackson is at a crossroads, and the choice we make in this runoff will determine whether we continue our journey toward progress or allow the weight of past challenges to slow us down. The outcome of this election will send a message about what kind of city we want to be.

Do we want leadership that is forward-thinking, accountable and committed to real solutions? Or will we settle for leadership that is reactive rather than proactive? The people of Jackson deserve a leader who understands that governance is about service, not status. This is a defining moment. It is a moment that will test our commitment to progress, our ability to persevere and the power of our collective voice.

Our voices will be heard through our vote.

A city of progress

Despite its struggles, Jackson has always been a city of progress. Our history is filled with moments of resilience, innovation and growth. From the Civil Rights movement to economic revitalization efforts, Jacksonians have always been visionaries who believe in creating a better tomorrow. Even in the face of difficulties, our people continue to push forward.

Over the past few years, we have seen improvements in economic development, in efforts to enhance infrastructure and in a growing emphasis on education and community engagement. But we cannot afford to be complacent. Progress does not happen automatically. Progress requires leadership that listens, adapts, and is willing to make bold decisions for the greater good.

The next mayor of Jackson must not only understand our city’s challenges but be willing to fight for the innovative policies and investments that will strengthen our schools, enhance public safety and expand economic opportunities for all residents. Progress is not just about making promises; it is about taking action.

A city of perseverance

Jackson is no stranger to adversity. From economic setbacks to infrastructure failures, our city has endured its fair share of difficulties. We have faced crises with our water system, budget constraints and rising crime rates, but through it all, the people of Jackson have continued to push forward. Perseverance is part of who we are. It is in our DNA.

Our next mayor must embody that same spirit of perseverance. This is not a position for someone who wants the title without the responsibility. It is not a job

Javion Shed

for someone looking for an easy win or political gain. We need a leader who understands that real change requires commitment, hard work and the ability to navigate complex challenges with determination and integrity.

Leadership in Jackson requires someone who will not back down when things get tough. We need a mayor who will fight for solutions, not excuses—who will prioritize action over rhetoric. The people of Jackson deserve leadership that is as resilient as they are.

A city of power

Jackson’s greatest strength is its people. We are a city of educators, entrepreneurs, activists and students —each playing a vital role in shaping our community. Our collective voice has the power to drive change and that power must be reflected in the leadership we choose.

The power of Jackson lies in its communities. From West Jackson to Fondren, from South Jackson to Belhaven, every neighborhood has a voice and a vision for a better city. But for our collective power to be effective, we need leadership that empowers its people. The next mayor of Jackson must be someone who recognizes the importance of investing in our communities, supporting local businesses and uplifting young people who are the future of this city.

This election is an opportunity for Jacksonians to demand bold, transformative leadership. We need someone who is ready to challenge outdated systems, push for new economic opportunities and build a city that is safe, inclusive and thriving.

Our power is in our vote, our voices and our vision for what Jackson can and should be. But power is only meaningful if we use it. If we want to see change, we must show up to the polls on April 22 and make our voices heard.

The choice before us

As we head to the polls, we must ask ourselves some critical questions:

  • Who has the vision to lead Jackson into a new era of progress?
  • Who has the perseverance to take on our toughest challenges and see them through?
  • Who has the power—and the will—to bring our city together and create meaningful change?

These questions are not just theoretical. They will define the future of Jackson. This is not just another election; it is a pivotal moment for our city. The choice we make will impact our schools, our economy, our infrastructure and the safety of our neighborhoods.

We owe it to ourselves, our families and future generations to make the right decision. This is our city, and it is up to us to ensure that it thrives. Leadership matters. Policies matter. And most importantly, our participation in this election matters.

Conclusion

Jackson is a city of progress. A city of perseverance. A city of power. But to fully realize our potential, we need leadership that is committed to action, not just words. The April 22 runoff is our chance to shape the future of Jackson for the better.

Our best days are still ahead—but only if we make the right choice at the ballot box. The power is in our hands. Let’s use it.

Javion Shed is the senior class vice president of Murrah High School, the 2nd Battalion JROTC command sergeant major and a Youth Leadership Greater Jackson member. He is committed to creating a stronger future for the city. He believes participating in the democratic process by voting is essential to the future of Jackson.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

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On this day in 1968, Lyndon Johnson signed Civil Rights Act

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10 hours ago

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April 11, 2025

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mississippitoday.org – @MSTODAYnews – 2025-04-11 07:00:00

by Jerry Mitchell, Mississippi Today
April 11, 2025

April 11, 1968

President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the 1968 Civil Rights Act.

A week after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1968, which paved the way for federal prosecution if someone “willingly injures, intimidates or interferes with another person, or attempts to do so, by force because of the other person’s race, color, religion or national origin” because that person was attending school, patronizing a public place, applying for a job, acting as a juror or voting. 

The new law granted Native Americans full access to the rights established in the U.S. Constitution. It also included the Fair Housing Act, which barred racial discrimination in the sale, rental or leasing of U.S. housing in the wake of housing protests in Chicago and elsewhere.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

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