JACKSON, MS (Mississippi News Now) -
The City of Jackson now has its fourth Mississippi Freedom Trail Marker. It was unveiled Thursday afternoon on the campus of Jackson State University.
The marker commemorates the 1970 protests at then Jackson State College. A group of student protesters were confronted by city and state police. Officers opened fire, killing two students and injuring twelve others. This happened only 10 days after national guardsmen killed four students in similar protests at Kent State University in Ohio, which first captured national attention.
"You cannot progress without understanding your history and so in our courses here on campus the history is taught, but as people are walking around campus and they're able to see for themselves, it's important to have a mile marker just to remind them where they can, as you walk by, think about it for a few seconds and hopefully that'll impact your entire life as you're going through. History is very important and we must remember it," said David Hoard, vice president of Institutional Advancement at JSU.
This is now the second marker on the campus of Jackson State. The first was placed on the campus back in April.
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