Join us on a journey through time, music, and culture
as we learn about notable Civil Rights changemakers of the past.
Friday, September 27 – Sunday, September 29
Prepare for an unforgettable journey as we venture on the Great Mississippi Road Trip.
This tour will guide you through the most fascinating corners of our state,
where civil rights heroes made their mark and pivotal moments in history unfolded.
Each day, we’ll visit significant sites to delve into the stories,
events, and music that have defined Mississippi.
*Participation is limited to 40 guests. Tickets are $1,500 per person, including transportation via motor coach,
immersive activities, and meals. Hotel accommodations are not included, but blocks of rooms have been reserved at select hotels.
For more information on sponsorship packages click here
or contact Tosha Taylor at ttaylor@mscenterforjustice.org
or (601) 709-0859.
PLANNED ITINERARY
GUEST HISTORIAN JOHN SPANN OF THE MISSISSIPPI HUMANITIES COUNCIL
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 27 • JACKSON • INDIANOLA
Visit the Farish Street Historic District, an important Black residential and business district of the 19th century.
Tour the modest home of NAACP Field Secretary Medgar Evers and his wife, Myrlie, now a National Monument. Stand in the very spot where Evers fell after he was fatally shot by an assassin on June 12, 1963.
Enjoy haute cuisine in southern style with a lunch prepared by Chef Nick Wallace of “Top Chef” and “Chopped” fame.
Visit the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum for a “Social Justice Empowerment Brunch” with veterans of the Mississippi civil rights movement and contemporary social justice leaders, followed by an informative tour of the museum led by your guide, John Spann, who designed many of its exhibits.
Visit MCJ’s Indianola office to learn about our boots-on-the-ground advocacy efforts across the communities of the Mississippi Delta.
Immerse yourself in the blues with a visit to the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center, then toast the King of the Blues over dinner at Club Ebony, one of Mississippi’s most famous juke joints.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 28 • MONEY • DREW • TALLAHATCHIE COUNTY • SUMNER • GREENWOOD
Relive a dark chapter in American history with stops at sites related to the brutal murder of Emmett Till, including two of the three sites that make up the newly-designated Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument.
Stops include Bryant’s Grocery, where Till, a Black child, allegedly whistled at a white woman and later paid with his life; the barn where Till was tortured; Graball Landing, the site where Till’s battered body was found in the Tallahatchie River; the Tallahatchie County Courthouse in Sumner, where his white murderers stood trial and were found not guilty; and the Emmett Till Interpretive Center, which uses powerful storytelling to promote racial healing.
Graball Landing and the Tallahatchie County Courthouse are a part of the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument, created through a designation by the White House on July 25, 2023.
The third site designated a part of the monument is Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ in Chicago, where Till’s funeral was held.
Enjoy dinner at the Alluvian Hotel in Greenwood, followed by a moonlit blues session at one of three gravesites for Robert Johnson, the legendary bluesman who sold his soul to the devil for the ability to play the guitar.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 29 • GREENWOOD • CLEVELAND • RULEVILLE • RETURN TO JACKSON
Stop at Dockery Farms, the most famous of the old cotton plantations. Dockery Farms is included on a list of possible birthplaces of the blues, America’s only original music.
Ponder the progress and setbacks of the last 60 years at the Fannie Lou Hamer Memorial in Ruleville, a tribute to the community organizer who became one of the most powerful voices of the civil rights movement.
