The Port Gibson Boycott

The Port Gibson Boycott (HM1YX0)

Location: Port Gibson, MS 39150 Claiborne County
Buy Mississippi State flags at Flagstore.com!
Country: United States of America
Buy United States of America flags at Flagstore.com!

N 31° 57.742', W 90° 59.005'

  • 0 likes
  • 0 check ins
  • 0 favorites
  • 651 views
Inscription
On April 1, 1966, the local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) imposed an economic boycott on the majority of the white-owned businesses in Port Gibson/Claiborne County. In the months leading up to the Boycott, a number of demands for change in the treatment of African-American citizens, employment opportunities available to them, and full enfranchisement as citizens had been made of local business and political leaders with little or no substantive change or response. The Boycott garnered the overwhelming support of the majority of the County's black citizens. Although blacks also represented a majority of the County's residents, they had little other economic power and had been denied the right to vote (political power) through segregationist laws and practices.

Change would not come easily. The Boycott would continue off and on over an eleven (11) year period, during which a significant number of businesses would fail or close. Working with both State and local law enforcement to harass Boycott leaders and disrupt the Boycott, white business and political leaders believed they could simply hunker down and eventually things would return to the status quo. With picketing and peaceful marches/demonstrations throughout the downtown area and beyond, black citizens would continue
to press their demands for equality and racial justice. Black voter registration would become a major focus.

On October 31, 1969, seventeen (17) of the boycotted merchants sued the national NAACP, Mississippi Action for Progress (MAP) and 146 individuals in the Hinds County (MS) Chancery Court to recover business losses caused by the Boycott and to enjoin future boycott activity ("Claiborne Hardware et al. vs NAACP et al."). In 1976 the Chancery Court held that the NAACP, MAP and 128 other defendants were jointly and severally liable for damages to 12 merchants in the amount of $1.25 million plus interest, and a permanent injunction against certain boycott activities was issued. The judgment had the potential to bankrupt all of the defendants including the NAACP and, in addition, placed a cloud over all similar boycott activities nationally. The judgement was upheld by the Mississippi Supreme Court in December 1980.

The State courts' decisions were appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court and on July 2, 1982, it overturned their rulings, holding that "the Boycott clearly involved constitutionally protected activity" through which the NAACP and other defendants "sought to bring about political, social and economic change".
Details
HM NumberHM1YX0
Tags
Year Placed2011
Placed ByPort Gibson Main Street, Inc
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Thursday, June 15th, 2017 at 1:06am PDT -07:00
Pictures
Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.
Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)31N E 166021 N 0
Decimal Degrees31.96236667, -90.98341667
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 31° 57.742', W 90° 59.005'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds31° 57' 44.52" N, 90° 59' 0.3" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)601
Which side of the road?Marker is on the right when traveling West
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 203 Orange St, Port Gibson MS 39150, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

Is this marker missing? Are the coordinates wrong? Do you have additional information that you would like to share with us? If so, check in.

Nearby Markersshow on map
Check Ins  check in   |    all

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.

Comments 0 comments

Maintenance Issues
  1. Is this marker part of a series?
  2. What historical period does the marker represent?
  3. What historical place does the marker represent?
  4. What type of marker is it?
  5. What class is the marker?
  6. What style is the marker?
  7. Does the marker have a number?
  8. This marker needs at least one picture.
  9. Can this marker be seen from the road?
  10. Is the marker in the median?