On Thursday, Canton citizens gathered at the courthouse to unveil the Mississippi Freedom Trail Marker. It honors the 1963 Madison County Movement. The Mississippi Freedom Trail was originally marked in Money (Miss.) at Bryant’s Grocery. Emmett Till was charged with whistling at a woman of color, leading to his kidnapping, murder, and subsequent arrest. Number 21 was unveiled in Canton on Thursday. The marker honors CORE activists Matheo Suarez and David Dennis. They opened a Madison County office in 1963 to register black voters. Annie Devine, C.O. were also organizers. Anne Moody of Tougaloo and Chinn Sr. organized a boycott and created Freedom Schools. They also implemented mass voter registration drives. Robert C. O. Chinn, Jr., is the son of Robert C.O. Chinn Sr. remembers the Meredith March Against Fear that passed through the city’s streets fifty years ago. His father, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Stokely Carmichael walked among city churches, freedom house, and highway 16 singing “We Shall Overcome” while he was still young. Dr. Leslie B. McLemore is a veteran of Mississippi’s civil rights movement. “As we celebrate the occasion, let’s get people registered for voting and changing politics in our state.” Madison County had 121 black registered voters before 1965 Voting Rights Act. John Brown, a Canton Branch NAACP Board member, said that the Canton City Courthouse was a “building full of power”. He also recalled that one white man worked in the registrar’s offices and decided whether black citizens could register for the vote. Dr. King and other members of the Canton Branch NAACP Board wanted to ensure that everyone understood that they had the right to register and exercise their voting rights. Brown said that he stood on the steps and encouraged everyone. This marker will always be a reminder of the hardships we went through to obtain the most fundamental right of any American citizen. Brown stated that the right to vote is a way to decide your own destiny. Throughout the month, 50th anniversary celebrations of the March Against Fear have been taking place throughout the state. On Saturday, Tougaloo College will host a day of voter registration and dialogue with 1966 marchers. Entertainment will also be provided. James Meredith will lead the “Walk for Good & Right” starting at the Smith Robertson Museum, ending at the state Capitol building.