Utica Institute Museum (Utica, Mississippi)

African American Civil Rights Network

The Utica Institute Museum is located on the historic Utica Campus of Hinds Community College in Utica, Mississippi. The Museum tells the story of Southern Black Education in rural Mississippi and the Utica Normal and Industrial Institute, a “little Tuskegee”. The Utica Institute Museum, in partnership with the William Holtzclaw Library, houses the Utica Institute Archives and the Utica Oral History Center.

The Utica Normal and Industrial Institute was founded in 1903 by William H. Holtzclaw, a native of Alabama and mentee of Booker T. Washington. Holtzclaw sought to educate African Americans in Mississippi's "Black Belt" by replicating the Tuskegee educational experience. The Institute eventually became Utica Junior College which merged with Hinds Community College in 1982, becoming one of Hind's six campuses. Today the Utica Campus retains its Historically Black College & University (HBCU) designation and is the oldest campus in the Hinds Community College system.

The Utica Institute Museum became part of the African American Civil Rights Network in 2022.

The African American Civil Rights Network recognizes the African American Civil Rights Movement in the United States and the sacrifices made by those who fought against discrimination and segregation. Created by the African American Civil Rights Act of 2017, and coordinated by the National Park Service, the Network tells the stories of the people, places, and events of the U.S. African American Civil Rights Movement through a collection of public and private resources to include properties, facilities, and programs.