Jackson Municipal Library Sit-In

On March 27, 1961, nine African American Tougaloo students quietly staged a sit-in at the Jackson Municipal Library, which served only white patrons. After first visiting Carver Library, the small and inadequate "colored branch," to request books they knew were unavailable there, they went to the State Street branch and began research, asserting that a tax-supported public library had no legal right to deny them service. Police ordered them to go to Carver Library and arrested them on breach of the peace charges when they refused. The nine, later known in the press as the Tougaloo Nine, had carefully planned the action, trained in nonviolent resistance, and alerted the press. They remained in custody for thirty-two hours while Sheriff delayed attorney Jack Young's efforts to post bond. Support spread quickly as Jackson State University students Dorie and Joyce Ladner, working with NAACP field secretary Medgar Evers, organized a sympathy prayer meeting in front of the library, where nearly 700 people gathered before President Jacob Reddix ordered students back to campus. The next day Jackson State University students boycotted classes, held a rally, and marched toward the city jail, where a police line met them with clubs, tear gas, and police dogs. Violence continued during the trial on March 28, when Medgar Evers was among many assaulted during a police riot. The students were quickly convicted, fined $100 each, and given thirty-day suspended jail sentences, but the case was later thrown out on appeal. Their activism inspired African American protests across Mississippi, especially among young people, to challenge segregation in public parks, swimming pools, stores, and movie theaters.

Jackson, Mississippi · United States