Mississippi Freedom Trail marker honors Hattiesburg civil rights leader
HATTIESBURG, Miss. (WHLT) – A new Mississippi Freedom Trail marker, which commemorates civil rights leader Victoria Jackson Gray Adams, was unveiled in Hattiesburg.
The marker is located at 816 Elnora Knight Road, which was an essential hub of the 1964 Freedom Summer Movement.
“We are honored to celebrate the legacy of Victoria Jackson Gray Adams as the newest addition to our Mississippi Freedom Trail,” said Visit Mississippi Director Rochelle Hicks. “We encourage our residents and visitors to explore the many sites that convey Mississippi’s leading role in the Civil Rights Movement throughout the state’s distinct cities and towns.”
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Gray Adams was born on November 5, 1926, in Hattiesburg, where she solidified her role as a civil rights leader in the 1960s. Her efforts included supporting voter registration, educating disenfranchised communities about the civil rights promised to all Americans in the United States Constitution, and coordinating political activities with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. One of her most high-profile steps into the political spotlight occurred in 1965, when she became the first Black woman to run for the Mississippi senate.
“Victoria Gray Adams was a relentless trailblazer for civil rights, who chose to never accept status quo as the final word,” said Hattiesburg Mayor Toby Barker. “This marker will share her story with future generations, and we hope it will help raise up citizens with the same fighting spirit to call out injustice and advance the cause of good.”
The Mississippi Freedom Trail consists of more than 40 sites that offer visitors the opportunities to learn more about the Civil rights movement, honor important figures of the era and sightsee across the state.
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