Nine Black College Students Were Arrested in 1961 for Reading at a Segregated Public Library. Their Contributions to the Civil Rights Movement Have Long Been Overlooked

"The students, from the historically Black Tougaloo College, had trained for this moment. This was a sit-in, a nonviolent direct-action protest, and they were prepared."

"The civic-minded students wanted to effect change in Mississippi. Entering that library would boldly oppose the state's unyielding system of segregation and highlight the disparities they experienced as Black residents."

"The Tougaloo Nine's demonstration would etch their names in Mississippi history: Meredith Anding Jr., James Bradford, Alfred Cook, Geraldine Edwards, Janice Jackson, Joseph Jackson Jr., Albert Lassiter, Evelyn Pierce and Ethel Sawyer."

"Nationally, though, their story is 'often overlooked' in the broader civil rights narrative, says historian Daphne Chamberlain, chief program officer at the Emmett Till Interpretive Center in Mississippi."

On March 27, 1961, nine Black students from Tougaloo College conducted a sit-in at a segregated public library in Jackson, Mississippi. They anticipated police intervention and potential arrest for their actions. Guided by civil rights leaders, they aimed to challenge segregation and highlight racial disparities. Their demonstration became a pivotal moment in Mississippi's civil rights history, although it remains less recognized nationally. The students' courage and commitment to nonviolent protest marked a significant step towards desegregation in public spaces.

Read at Smithsonian Magazine