This marker provides historical information about the Council of Federated Organizations. The office at J.R. Lynch Street on Jackson State’s campus was where the Mississippi Movement lived between 1963 and 1965. COFO, as it was called, was an umbrella for an alliance among the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and the Congress of Racial Equality. It also helped to focus civil rights efforts within the state. Tony Yarber, Jackson Mayor, stated that while we should be proud of the progress we have made, we must also remember the challenges ahead. Bryant joined Yarber’s comments by making remarks. Bryant had earlier Wednesday declared October Racial Reconciliation Celebration Month in Mississippi. Robert Moses, a Civil Rights icon and COFO program director, was also present. Moses stated, “As you all know, the Freedom Riders brought in the sit-in movement to Mississippi. But nine months later, it became clear that we needed to concentrate on the right of Mississippi voters if we wanted to make Mississippi work.” COFO was able to step in and organize the 1963 Freedom Vote and the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, which challenged to be seated at both the 1964 Democratic National Convention in 1964 and the 1964 Mississippi Freedom Summer Project. The Fannie Lou Hamer Institute now occupies the COFO Complex, which was renovated in 2011. The facility is used by students to discuss the issues of social justice and how they can be addressed.