smith robertson museum and cultural center

This is a fairly small and uncrowded museum (on a Saturday morning we were the only ones there and had to wait briefly for the lone employee to unlock the gate). While it may be off the beaten path, it has both character and charm, and lots of potential for growth. You will learn that the Smith Robertson school was the first school for African-Americans in Jackson, and see some of the original bricks and student murals of a school building that was fire-bombed twice for the sole reason that it was a school teaching African-American children. In addition to exhibits about the school itself and its most famous alum author Richard Wright, there is also original art by local artists, exhibits on the slave trade and Trans-Atlantic passage, and a very moving exhibit on the life and assassination of civil rights hero Medgar Evers. There are also exhibits still under construction and clearly more room for this little museum to flourish. Add this museum to any trip through Mississippi for a more complete picture of the state's history and to support a worthwhile community endeavor.

We found the place by reviewing the "Things to do in Jackson" brochure--a very informative booklet. Apparently there is plenty to do in Jackson. The photographs and slide presentation are excellent. Jackson was definitely in the center of the civil rights efforts. I was in Alabama at the time and never really knew much about the Mississippi experience.

I really enjoyed myself here. This museum has great potential. The short fifteen minute film was awe inspiring. They just need more exhibits and maybe someone to give a tour.

I have lived in Mississippi all my life and never knew this museum was here. I visited today for the first time and was very moved by the exhibit. I encouraged all to visit.

This museum has great potential, but it's still lacking many things and several exhibits are a work in progress. The first floor contains mainly pictures with little or no context - some pictures reappear on the second floor. I was planning to give this 2 or 3 stars due to lack of historical information until I reached the Medgar Evers exhibit; this was very detailed, informative and effective.

Being a cultural center it does fulfill many valuable functions. There is a museum exhibit located here. One is very small that covers the very bare bones on slavery with a surprisingly effective, startling at first on the middle passage. The Medgar Evers exhibit is well done and would be a good starting point of a civil rights tour of Jackson. The location may make some nervous as it is located on a once thriving historically black community which has fallen on hard times post-integration. I may not have gone there on my own the first time, but now having been their I would be perfectly comfortable in going there. Parking is right out front and it should be easy to spot as it is located in the first public school built for blacks in Jackson. I put no below for a fee, but this may be because I was part of a group. They open at 9, but I would call in advance to check the hours.

If you want to be educated, inspired, motivated - visit the Smith Robertson Museum and Cultural Center, and ask the Museum Director, Pamela Junior to take you on a guided tour (if you're part of a group). You will be moved to tears and be given a truthful history of the African-American experience in Jackson MS and beyond.

I would recommend the museum to anyone with an interest in The underground railroad slavery escape system and the 20th century era of civil rights and blacks migration from the South to northern US cities for better quality of life and job opportunities. This museum also has great depictions of black art paintings. If you have the least bit of interest in past time life in the South, this will be a treat for you.

This was a nice feature to stumble upon. The history was great. We did this as a homeschool field trip combined with a trip the state capital. It is located kind of out of the way but still worth finding. There is no guided tour but not really needed.