C.C. Bryant Honored on Mississippi Freedom Trail

On January 20, 2014, McComb Legacies students were among the 100 attendees at the unveiling of a Mississippi Freedom Trail marker honoring the legacy of civil rights pioneer Mr. C.C. Bryant at his home in McComb.

The students noted:

It was wonderful to see so many people attend the unveiling to pay respect to such a remarkable man. It was an honor to be there. –-Damion Jordan 

I wish more of my peers had attended. I felt so honored to be a part of history. –-Kerwon Smith

   

Mississippi Public Broadcasting described the event:

Dr. Leslie McLemore, chair of the Mississippi Freedom Trail Task Force said Bryant is perhaps best known for his work  with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). “So the modern day Civil Rights movement, the protest movement, started in McComb and SNCC, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee got its training right here in McComb. This was the first place where they had a project. C.C. Bryant was responsible for getting those people her. So his impact is legendary.”

Bryant’s granddaughter, Judith Barlow, says she hopes the marker will serves as a reminder of just how far America has come and how far it still has to go.

“Today we’re looking at repealing some of those same protections that ensured people that they would not be harassed discriminated against when it came to casting their ballot and vote. We might have an African American president but we are very blind to the actual issues that are happening and destroying our community.” 

Bryant’s Freedom Trail Marker is the 15th such marker in the state.  He died in 2007. Read more. 

 
 

Before the unveiling, in collaboration with the William Winter Institute, McComb Legacies students were interviewed by the South Carolina Educational Broadcasting Network (ETV).

Through this interview the students were able to share their work and the importance of learning and sharing history.

Photos by Damion Jordan.