Mississippi Museum Salutes 1961 Freedom Riders
leisuregrouptravel.com
In honor of the 50th anniversary of the Mississippi Freedom Rides, the
Mississippi Museum of Art in Jackson presents Breach of Peace: Portraits of the
1961 Freedom Riders, an exhibition that documents the men and women whose
bravery challenged racial injustice in 1961. The 54-foot-long installation is
composed of 16 contemporary portraits of the Freedom Riders taken by
Mississippi native Eric Etheridge, along with prints of the original 330 mug
shots of those arrested. The exhibition is on view March 19-June 12.
In the spring and summer of 1961, several hundred Americans—black and white,
men and women, some practically children—converged on Jackson to challenge
state segregation laws. The Freedom Riders, as they came to be known, were
determined to open up the South to civil rights. More than 300 people were
arrested and convicted of the charge “breach of the peace.” The name, mug
shot, and other personal details of each Freedom Rider arrested were duly
recorded and saved by agents of the Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission.
By carefully recording names and preserving the mug shots, the commission
inadvertently created a testament to these heroes of the Civil Rights Movement.
Etheridge, a nationally-recognized photographer, web-site designer and magazine
editor, discovered the official mug shots of those riders from negatives
obtained by the opening of the Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission files
in 1998. After seeing these mug shots in 2004, Etheridge began his quest to
meet the Freedom Riders, discuss their stories during and after the Freedom
Rides, and to photograph them again, as dignified subjects of beautiful black
and white portraits. These portraits, juxtaposed with the original mug shots
and quotations from the Riders, were published in Etheridge’s compelling book,
Breach of Peace: Portraits of the 1961 Mississippi Freedom Riders, in 2008.
The exhibition will be mounted in Trustmark Grand Hall at the Mississippi
Museum of Art on a wall visible from the museum’s entrance. There is no charge
for admission. An interactive space will allow visitors the opportunity to
respond to the exhibition and to capture their own mug shots, which will be
compiled along with others to be displayed online. (866-843-9278,
msmuseumart.org.)
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