Smith Robertson Museum and Cultural Center announces the arrival of the Emmett Till Traveling Exhibit, developed by the Delta State University Archives and Museum and funded through the Mississippi Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Composed of newspaper headlines, articles, personal correspondence, family photographs, oral histories, and other primary source materials, the exhibit takes visitors back to Mississippi during the 1955 trial of 14-year-old Emmett Till's murderers, Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam. They were found not guilty but later confessed in a Look magazine article. Panels are arranged thematically and allow visitors to examine the information regarding the case. It was important to the creators of the exhibit not to include any present-day voices or opinions in the exhibit but to allow visitors to draw their own conclusions and learn in their own way from the events that led up to and immediately followed the case.
This exhibit would not have been possible without the work of Dr. Henry Outlaw to collect oral history recordings and the donation of materials from Gerald Chatham, Robert Smith, Frank R. Chamblin, and Wheeler Parker. Exhibition and content design was developed by Emily Erwin Weaver and Laura Fleeman Walker.
The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent those of the Mississippi Humanities Council or the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Smith Robertson Museum and Cultural Center
A once in a lifetime opportunity awaits you inside the Smith Robertson Museum and Cultural Center. Located a stone's throw from the State Capitol building, it's just within walking distance of principal businesses and attractions in downtown Jackson. Through art, artifacts, and photography, the work, lifestyle, and artistic contributions of African Americans are celebrated, evoking a greater understanding of the African-American experience in the Deep South.
The museum is housed in the former Smith Robertson School, the first public school built for African Americans in Jackson. The school opened in 1894 and served the African-American community until 1971. The original building was a two-story wood structure that burned in 1909. A brick structure was erected by a local African-American contractor to replace the school that same year. In 1929, the prominent architectural firm Hull and Mulvaney enlarged the building and enhanced it with its Art Deco facade. The school was named for Mr. Smith Robertson, who was born a slave in Fayette, Alabama, in 1847. After the Civil War, he migrated to Jackson where he operated a successful barbering business. He was also in local politics and became the first African-American Alderman in the City of Jackson.
One of the most notable graduates of Smith Robertson School is internationally known writer and 1925 graduate Richard Wright. Though he spent only a few years of his life in Mississippi, those years would play a key role in his two most important works: Native Son, a novel, and his autobiography, Black Boy.
Richard Wright
The school closed in 1971 because of integration and was abandoned. Concerned citizens within the community wanted to stop the building from being torn down. Dr. Jessie Mosley and Dr. Alferdteen Harrison organized a petition to save the school. The museum opened in 1984. Dr. Jessie Mosley was the museum's first director and was eventually named "Director Emeritus."
Dr. Jessie B. Mosley
Smith Robertson Museum and Cultural Center is dedicated to increasing public understanding and awareness of the historical experience and cultural expressions of people of African descent. Artifacts highlight the contributions of black Mississippians through struggle and achievement, as seen in exhibits such as From Slavery to America, 1670-1864 and in the Hall of Fame, which includes personalities from the state who are pioneers in their respective positions. Robert Clark, elected in 1967, was the first African American elected to serve in the Mississippi Legislature since 1894. Unita Blackwell was the first African-American woman elected as mayor of a city in the State of Mississippi. Reuben Anderson became the first African American to serve on the Mississippi Supreme Court, and the Honorable Harvey Johnson, Jr., was elected in 1997 as the first African-American mayor of Jackson, the state's capital and largest city.
The museum also houses on a permanent basis the Smithsonian Traveling Exhibition Services organized exhibition, Field to Factory: The Afro-American Migration, 1915-1940. This exhibition interprets African Americans moving in great numbers from the rural South to the urban North. The larger version of this exhibition is housed at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History. Other permanent exhibitions include the History of Smith Robertson School, works from the Visual Collection, works from the Master Collection, Treasures of Africa, HistoricFarish Street District (1910-1970), African-American Lifestyle in Mississippi, Mississippi Negro Scholars, Mississippi Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Mississippi African-American Folk Art, Civil Rights Gallery (Jackson, Mississippi, Movement), and Mississippi Black Doctors Gallery.
DOCENTS
You are invited to volunteer at the Smith Robertson Museum and Cultural Center. For more information please contact the museum at (601) 960-1457. All volunteers learn art history, specifically African and African-American, observation and evaluation, script writing, and presentation. Docents lead tours, assist in museum activities and act as ambassadors to the museum.
SCHEDULING TOURS
Smith Robertson Museum and Cultural Center offers tours Monday through Saturday. You can request an overview of the museum or a guided tour. The museum must receive your request two weeks prior to the date of your tour. A confirmation letter will be sent to the person making the request. Please present the confirmation to the museum staff when you arrive. Because of scheduling, a group arriving late will forfeit its guided tour and will be offered an overview as an alternative.
Tours are for groups with a minimum of ten persons. All school groups must be accompanied by an adequate amount of chaperones.
Tours generally last for 45 minutes, but remember that the visitors determine the length of the tour.
*School discount: For every 10 students, 1 chaperone will get into the museum free of charge.
RESERVATIONS
All reservations must be approved by the museum manager. Please send a letter requesting the use of the museum for your event.
GIFT SHOP
Smith Robertson Museum and Cultural Center has a variety of items to purchase: African masks, books, paintings, t-shirts, mugs, and many more items to complete your visit to the museum.
The Gift Shop is open during regular business hours. For more information, please call (601) 960-1457.
Smith Robertson Museum and Cultural Center 528 Bloom Street Jackson, MS 39202-4005 (601) 960-1457 Phone
(601) 960-2070 Fax
MUSEUM HOUR: MONDAY-FRIDAY 9:00 A.M.- 5:00 P.M. SATURDAY 10:00 A.M.- 1:00 P.M. SUNDAY CLOSED (OPEN ONLY FOR SPECIAL EVENTS)
ADMISSION PRICES: ADULTS $4.50 CHILDREN UNDER 18 $1.50 SENIOR CITIZENS $3.00 (62 and above)
