Higher Purpose Co. to Sponsor Free Weekend at Two Mississippi Museums
Higher Purpose Co. is sponsoring free admission to the Two Mississippi Museums Friday, May 31, through Sunday, June 2, to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Freedom Summer.
“We are grateful to Higher Purpose Co. for making it possible for people to visit the Museum of Mississippi History and the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum free of charge,” said Katie Blount, director of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. “Visitors will learn about the importance of Freedom Summer and its critical role in the Civil Rights Movement.”
The statewide economic opportunity nonprofit Higher Purpose Co. continues to expand access to powerful stories at the museums as part of its arts and culture strategy. This Freedom Summer Free Weekend marks the third consecutive year HPC has offered free admission to museum guests.
“Higher Purpose Co. is excited to deepen our relationship with MDAH and collaborate on this commemorative event,” said Tim Lampkin, founder and chief executive officer of Higher Purpose Co. “As we gather for a Freedom Summer Free Weekend at the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum, we honor the stories of resilience and triumph that have shaped our history. Through storytelling, we not only commemorate the past but also inspire a new generation of Black entrepreneurs to forge their own paths towards economic empowerment.”
Launched in June 1964, the Mississippi Summer Project was a volunteer campaign designed to help Black Mississippians register to vote and enhance their education by enlisting the help of college students. During Freedom Summer, three civil rights workers—James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner—were murdered. Nonetheless, the combined efforts of civil rights groups, college students, local people—and media coverage of the violence—led to the passage of the national legislation, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, assisting in the dismantling of Jim Crow segregation.
Staff at the Two Mississippi Museums will offer visitors themed tours about Freedom Summer at 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Friday, May 31, and Saturday, June 1, and at 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 2. On Sunday afternoon from 2 to 3 p.m., the Anderson United Methodist Church Choir will provide a concert.