Jackson State University is a historically black university in the heart of Jackson, MS. Jackson State University, originally named Natchez Seminary in 1877 and then changed to Jackson College 1899, is a public historically black research university. It is one of the largest HBCUs in the United States and the fourth-largest university in Mississippi in terms of student enrollment.
The 1970s were marked by significant strides in civil rights for African Americans and deep-seated societal unrest. On college campuses across the nation, you would often find students staging protests against the Vietnam War and the draft, but that wasn't the reason why students at Jackson State University, then Jackson State College, were upset. Students and administration were involved in a conflict that started on John R. Lynch Street, a busy commuter route that divided the college in half. Because they were worried about the safety of the students, they called for the city to step in immediately to fix the dangerous situation. But the answer they got was the exact opposite of what they asked for, culminating in the death of two students, Phillip Gibbs and James Earl Green.
Listen as Mrs. Gailya Porter, a survivor, recounts the events that transpired before that evening and the profound impact it continues to have on the university.
More than a week before the incident at Jackson State, on May 4, 1970, students at Kent State University were killed by Ohio National Guardsmen and local and state police during student anti-war protests. Many of them were against the Vietnam War and the subsequent draft that had been put in place by the government.
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Although the incidents are often linked because of similarities, the student concerns were vastly different. Students at Jackson State College were experiencing racism stemming from John R. Lynch Street, a busy commuter street that split the college in half. As motorists were passing by, they would often yell out racial slurs, throw things, or speed up as if to hit a crossing JSU student, eventually hitting a young woman on her way to class.
Tensions between the city of Jackson officials- primarily white- and the JSU community began to increase, often leading to student protests demanding the immediate closing of J.R. Lynch Street.
On May 14, 1970, a critical event occurred when somebody set a dump truck on fire in the middle of the street. This incident caused many students to leave their dormitories. Alexander Hall, which used to be an all-women's dormitory, was situated right next to the street on a hill. As a result, many students gathered there, having a good time and laughing. The fire department was called to put out the fire, but they weren't the only ones who showed up. Members of the Jackson police, state highway patrol officers, and national guardsmen appeared, dressed entirely in riot gear, and marched up Lynch Street. Eventually, they stopped right in front of Alexander Hall. They also brought the "Thompson Tank," which was a fully armored personnel carrier purchased by Allen Thompson, the segregationist mayor of Jackson, ahead of what he termed the “invasion” of civil rights activists during Freedom Summer in 1964. According to The Nation.com, The highway patrolmen carried state-issued shotguns and double-aught buckshot, personal weapons, and even “two 9mm submachine guns.” Whether it was a sniper being spotted on the 5th floor or the fact that someone threw a glass bottle at the police, all hell broke loose, and for 28 seconds, the officers let off 400 rounds of ammunition, wounding several students and killing Philip Gibbs and James Earl Green.
Mrs. Gailya Porter was a sophomore who stayed in the Alexander Hall dorms and was on the hill the night of the incident. Listen as she shares her story of the events leading up to the shooting and the profound impact still felt throughout the Jackson State community.
Sources:
https://www.jsums.edu/about-jsu/
https://www.jsums.edu/margaretwalkercenter/gibbs-green-50th-commemoration-exhibit/the-gibbs-green-tragedy/
https://www.jsums.edu/universitycommunications/gibbs-green-shooting-may-15-1970/
https://youtu.be/-TwjxRvA7Xk?si=3H2TTOeuW5l8ovK_
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/interactive/unresolved/cases/phillip-lafayette-gibbs
https://www.heroism.org/class/1970/green.html
https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/jackson-state-shootings-fifty/
https://www.wlbt.com/2023/07/25/vault-1970-gibbs-green-shootings-jsu/