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Contact: Keena Graham
JACKSON, Miss. – Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home National Monument today announced an opportunity for the public to comment on preliminary concepts to guide the new national park’s future operations.
The public comment period on draft concepts for the park’s cultural landscape report (CLR) will run from March 15 to June 30 and include opportunities to submit written comments and participate in public meetings.
“This is an important time for the park as we prepare to mark the 60th anniversary of Medgar Evers’ assassination and consider approaches to best convey how what happened in and around the Evers home impacted the city, state and country,” said Keena Graham, superintendent, Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home National Monument. “We welcome the public’s input into the NPS’s effort to develop a preservation and operations plan that carefully regards the surrounding community while also creating a meaningful visitor experience.”
The park will hold three public meetings in the Jackson area to discuss preliminary ideas about the CLR and share initial plans for upcoming park activities:
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March 28 at Two Mississippi Museums, 222 North Street, Jackson, MS, at 11 a.m.
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March 28 at the Evers Home, 2332 Margaret W Alexander Dr, Jackson, MS, at 5 p.m. Meeting will be held outdoors at the Missouri Street lots, weather permitting.
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March 29 at the Medgar Evers Boulevard Public Library, 4215 Medgar Evers Blvd, Jackson, MS, at 11 a.m.
During the meetings, National Park Service staff will provide an overview of the longer-term planning processes, as well as some of the other anticipated projects and activities that are beginning to take shape as the park and partners prepare to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the assassination of Medgar Evers in June 2023. NPS staff will explain the plan process, showcase methods for public comment and answer participants’ questions. The three meetings will offer the same information.
Written comments may be submitted online at https://parkplanning.nps.gov/MEMY_CLR (select “Open for Comment” on the left menu bar) or by mail to:
Superintendent
Medgar and Myrlie Evers National Monument
Mississippi Civil Rights Museum
222 North Street #2205
Jackson, MS 39201
Written comments on the initial phase of the plan must be submitted online or postmarked by June 30 to be considered. Additional opportunities for commenting and public engagement will be offered over the course of the project. More information about the meetings and planning process are available on the project website at https://parkplanning.nps.gov/MEMY_CLR.
About the Cultural Landscape Report
The CLR and a companion Historic Structure Report (HSR) are being prepared to help park’s management assess the character-defining features of the historic home and its broader cultural landscape. These documents will also provide specific recommendations to ensure preservation of significant resources and evaluate potential alternatives to establish a park operational footprint and framework for visitor use and park access.
Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home National Monument in Jackson, Mississippi is a unit of the National Park Service honoring the life, work and legacies of two important civil rights leaders, Medgar and Myrlie Evers. Built in 1956, the Evers home is in Jackson’s Elraine subdivision, the first post-World War II residential subdivision created for middle-class African Americans in Mississippi. Medgar and Myrlie Evers exemplified civil rights organizing that combined grassroots strategies with efforts of national organizations to change laws and policies related to voting rights, public education and public accommodations; redress criminal injustice; and contest the systemic nature of racial discrimination. The home helps tell a powerful story of the sacrifices the couple faced in this work and the efforts they made to raise and protect their family. It is also the site where Medgar Evers was assassinated on June 12, 1963. It serves as a tangible place where visitors may engage with their story and learn about the ongoing struggle for social justice in the United States.
Designated as a unit of the NPS in 2020, the park includes three NPS-owned parcels in the Elraine neighborhood: the Evers home at 2332 Margaret Walker Alexander Drive and two vacant parcels along Missouri Street near its intersection with West Ridgeway Street. The neighborhood is designated as a historic district in the National Register of Historic Places and provides an essential historic setting for the Evers home, which is also distinguished as a National Historic Landmark. The two vacant parcels provide potential opportunities for visitor services and park operational support. Alternatives for use of these two parcels, as well as other potential management arrangements will be identified and evaluated in the CLR.
More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America’s 424 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov, and on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
Last updated: March 16, 2023