Although the event was advertised as a gala to honour stars of the Southern civil right struggle, it was actually a rerun of the December grand opening. Many black leaders decided to skip the bicentennial celebration and ribbon-cutting of the Museum of Mississippi History and Mississippi Civil Rights after President Donald Trump announced that he would be there. A private group called Friends of Mississippi Civil Rights organized a silent event and invited civil right icons who had boycotted the bicentennial celebration. Although Trump and the Republican Party were not mentioned, the Friends of Civil Rights awards dinner felt as a rebuke of Trump and Republican policies. It also included hot-button topics that have dominated recent news cycles, such as the shooting at a Florida highschool. U.S. Rep. John Lewis, of Georgia was arrested during the Freedom Rides. His famous mugshot can be seen in the civil right museum. He said that voter suppression efforts like requiring photo ID to vote and partisan gerrymandering are reminiscent policies he fought for in the 1960s. There are many forces today in America that want to send us back to another time or another place. We have come too far. We have made too many progress, and we won’t stop. To thunderous applause from the crowd, he declared “We’re moving forward!” to which a standing ovation was received from legislators and other officials from across the state. Ruby Bridges Hall, who hails from Tylertown, was a Tylertown native and was instrumental in the integration of an elementary school in New Orleans when she was 6. She recalled hunting with her grandmother, who had a shotgun as well as a pistol. Bridges stated that she didn’t hunt with an assault rifle. The shooting massacre at Marjory Stoneman Doug High School in Parkland on February 14, in which the gunman used an AR-15 assault rifle, has refueled national debate about gun laws. It also sparked a movement by high school students demanding stricter gun laws. General Jim Hood, a Democrat who is a self-described hunter and outdoorsman, didn’t echo Hall’s warning about assault weapons, but said he was “encouraged” by those young people who have stood up for Florida and encouraged them to get involved in civic life. Mississippi was also criticized by speakers. Bennie Thompson, U.S. Rep., was the only Democrat from Mississippi in Congress. He called African Americans in Congress and local government to demand more blacks serve on banks’ boards of directors. Also, he demanded greater participation by minorities in major economic development projects like the Continental Tire factory near Bolton. “I urge the mayors and supervisors who have money in these banks to ask the hard questions. Thompson stated that if the clerk has the same power and the black vice president, then it’s window dressing. We need your support, elected officials. “Now that you have the position and are in it, do something!” The symposium will be continued on Saturday, February 24, with several panels and a symposium on civil rights, women’s economic security, and millennial activism. Rita Schwerner Bender and Robert Clark, former state representatives were also honored. Bender was the spouse of Michael Schwerner, who was also killed in Philadelphia with Andrew Goodman (and James Chaney) in 1964._x000D