In celebration of Black History Month, the Mitchell Memorial Library has been housing a civil rights exhibit on the second and third floors.
The exhibit titled The Dream: Civil Rights and Education in Mississippi is co-sponsored by the Holmes Cultural Diversity Center and the library.
Letters, newspaper clippings and certificates comprise most of the collection, including a certificate given to State Rep. Tyrone Ellis for his work in the civil rights movement.
Other certificates resemble the one given to Ellis, from different organizations honoring advocates of and contributors to the civil rights movement.
The exhibit will be on display until Sunday.
In addition to the certificates, it houses articles from the 1960s and 1970s, particularly those concerning Martin Luther King Jr.
“The display has books about Dr. King, poster, and letters that he wrote about his dream,” said library staff assistant Dorothy Johnson.
The general idea of the exhibit is to show the contributions made by Starkville locals at the time of the civil rights movement, Johnson said.
“The exhibit allows students, faculty, and staff to learn about the civil rights history in the state of Mississippi by supplying objects of interest and information for anyone to observe,” said Aretha Jones-Cook, director of the Holmes Cultural Diversity Center.
The newspaper clippings include articles about the first African-American to enter enroll at State, Dr. Richard Holmes.
The clippings also recognize the contributions of Starkville physician and civil rights advocate Dr. Douglas Conner.
“I believe the exhibit committee at the library has done a good job creating an educational and interesting exhibit for students and faculty to take interest in,” said Frances Coleman, dean of the library.
“I feel that the display is a great joint effort supporting the visit from Martin Luther King III and also of Black History month,” said Gail Peyton, library reference and outreach coordinator.
“I enjoyed reading the different display cases containing the historical information, and also getting to look at the local point of view and the local contributors to the civil rights movement,” Peyton added.