After years of discussion, Gov. Haley Barbour has taken the first steps to establish a civil rights museum in Mississippi. He has created a commission that is currently gathering information needed for the eventual construction of the museum.
“This is definitely a priority of the governor; the commission has already raised $500,000, which is a step in the right direction,” Barbour’s press secretary Pete Smith said. “The process will take time, and it deserves great attention and diligence to make sure it gets done right.”
The commission is chaired by former Supreme Court justice Reuben Anderson and co-chaired by U.S. Rep. Chip Pickering.
“Those museums are definitely successful,” Smith said. “The commission is currently deciding what direction the museum will take; of course we want it to stand out from the other museums.”
The location of the museum and date to begin construction are not set. A bill that will give the state $50 million in bonds for the construction of a museum cleared the Mississippi House 117-3 last week, but the project is meeting some resistance.
According to a report in The Clarion- Ledger, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Tommy Robertson said he’s not prepared to consider putting $50 million into the proposed museum. His opinion matters because as chairman, he decides whether to bring the House bill up for a vote.
“The governor’s plan, $500,000, that’s what I’m willing to do this year,” Robertson said.
The commission created by Barbour is made up of mostly Jackson-based politicians, which has led some to believe that the museum will eventually be constructed there. Some argue that such a museum would be a success in the state’s largest city, but others argue against the idea of a museum in Jackson.
The Clarion-Ledger reported that Sen. David Jordan, D-Greenwood, said his part of the state also could make a strong historical claim due to the 1955 slaying of Chicago teenager Emmett Till in Money, Miss., just outside Greenwood.
“Why shouldn’t the museum be put there?” Jordan said. “This is where the movement actually took off, had its origin.”
Barbour is hopeful the museum will begin construction within the next few years.
“There is enormous interest in the civil rights movement; a lot of that history took place here in Mississippi. Visitors from all over the world will come to see this museum. We must do the subject matter justice, and that is of the highest importance,” Smith said.