Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland and White House Council on Environmental Quality Chair Branda Mallory are visiting several civil rights sites across Mississippi as part of an initiative to advance social justice and share the nation’s civil rights history. The tour visited Mound Bayou, locations connected to the murder of Emmit Till, and finished the tour at the former home of Medgar and Myrlie Evers in Jackson. Interior Secretary Haaland says it is important to preserve the history of the civil rights era and educate future generations.
“Today I was so honored to learn, to listen, to hear from people who have been on the ground working at this for decades,” says Haaland. “It’s important that we educate our children because they deserve to know the history of our country.”
Also touring the sites is Mississippi’s Second District Congressman Bennie Thompson, who is the state’s only black member of the national delegation. He says black history is under attack through the guise of anti-critical race theory bills and says it’s important to preserve all aspects of history, regardless of how it may make some people feel.
“We ought to teach our young children about it, and make sure that it never repeats itself again,” says Thompson. ”It has nothing to do with making students feel bad about themselves or anything like that. That’s what people are saying. It happened. All what most of us want is for the truth to be taught. That’s it.”
Congressman Thompson says he is pushing for Congress to increase funding to the National Parks service to ensure more civil rights locations are preserved.
