Inventory of the Phillip Gibbs and James Green Memorial Collection, Part I

Overview of Collection

Repository: Jackson State University, Henry T. Sampson Library, Special Collections / University Archives

Collector: Jackson State University

Collection Number: M-009

Title: Phillip Gibbs and James Green Memorial Collection, Part I

Dates: 1970-2000, bulk dates 1970-1972

Quantity: 5 cubic feet

Abstract: Photographs, magazine and newspaper clippings, reports, and other materials related to the 1970 shooting on the campus of Jackson State College by Mississippi law enforcement officers. Two students, Phillip L. Gibbs and James Earl Green, were killed and twelve others wounded. Also includes a 20th anniversary memorial scrapbook documenting commemorative activities in 1990.

Biographical & Historical Note

In the spring of 1970, college communities across this country were characterized by a chorus of protests and demonstrations. The issues were the escalation of the war in Vietnam; the U.S. invasion of Cambodia; ecology; racism and repression; and, the inclusion of the experience of women and minorities in the educational system.

On May 4, 1970, four students—Alison Krause, Sandra Scheuer, Jeffrey Glenn Miller and William K. Schroeder—were killed by Ohio National Guardsmen at Kent State University. Following several nights of protests surrounding the beating death of a young Black man in the Richmond County (Georgia) jail, several Blacks were killed by police in Augusta, Georgia, on May 11, 1970. All were shot in the back. At Jackson State College, students organized protests concerning these issues as well as the historical racial intimidation and harassment by White motorists traveling Lynch Street, a major thoroughfare that divided the campus.

At approximately 12:05 a.m., May 15, 1970, Mississippi law enforcement officers opened fire on Jackson State College students and continued a barrage that lasted more than 30 seconds. When the shooting stopped, a Jackson State College student, Phillip Lafayette Gibbs, who was a pre-law major from Ripley, Mississippi, and James Earl Green, a senior at Jackson’s Jim Hill High School, were dead. A dozen other Jackson State College students were wounded inside or near Alexander Hall (women’s dormitory).

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Scope and Content Note

This collection documents events surrounding shootings on the Jackson State College campus on May 15, 1970, when Mississippi law enforcement officers fired at students during a campus protest, killing two, Phillip L. Gibbs and James Green, and wounding twelve others. The collection covers the incident's aftermath, news coverage, student and community reactions, official reports, court trials, and commemorative activities since 1970.

The majority of Part I is encapsulated and housed in large exhibit boxes; this material is divided into four volumes. Volume I (sheets 1 through 111) contains photographs of Phillip L. Gibbs and James Earl Green, photographs of the Jackson State campus prior to and following the incident, newsclippings, press releases and memoranda from Jackson State officials, and documentation of community reaction, including a boycott. Volume II (sheets 112 through 208) includes material on law enforcement officials, the closing of Lynch Street, and investigations conducted by the President’s Commission on Campus Unrest, a grand jury, the Mayor's Bi-Racial Committee, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Volume III (sheets 209 through 276) contains documentation of memorials for Gibbs and Green, telegrams and telefaxes received by Jackson State College, and a bibliography. Volume IV contains a memorial book of letters received by Jackson State College President John A. Peoples, Jr., following the incident. Many of the letters are from college presidents around the country.

The rest of Part I contains printed material collected since 1972, including commemoration programs, magazine and newspaper clippings, reports, and speeches. It also includes a 20th anniversary memorial scrapbook documenting commemorative activities in 1990.

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Topics Covered

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Administrative Information

These materials were assembled by staff members of Jackson State University over a 27-year period.

Patrons should use microfilm for material in Boxes 1 through 4.

This collection may be protected by copyright law (Title 17, U.S. Code).

Patrons wishing to cite materials from this collection should use the following format: Item, Box number, Folder number, Phillip Gibbs and James Green Memorial Collection, Part I, Jackson State University, Henry T. Sampson Library, Special Collections / University Archives, Jackson, Mississippi.

Volumes I through IV were microfilmed as part of a collaborative effort between Jackson State University and the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. The microfilm is available at both institutions.

Arranged by Bernice L. Bell; described by Juanita G. Murray, University Archivist.

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Related Material

Phillip Gibbs and James Green Memorial Collection, Parts II, III, and Audio-Visual Materials.

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Separation List

There are many photographs associated with Part I. The remaining photographs, audio tapes, and video tapes from the 1995 commemoration are housed in the Photo Archives (see finding aid for the Phillip Gibbs and James Green Memorial Collection, Audio-Visual Materials).

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Bibliography

Much has been recorded concerning the events which surrounded the deaths of Phillip Lafayette Gibbs and James Earl Green. A voluminous amount of that record has been assembled for this memorial scrapbook; however, additional accounts are available for further scrutiny. In order to bring some of these important accounts to the attention of the reader, the following selective bibliography has been assembled. Articles, appearing in journals and newspapers, monographs, speeches and tapes are interfiled in one alphabetical arrangement. Each citation is represented in the Henry T. Sampson Library, except for those citations taken from The New York Times Index. Citations taken from The New York Times Index are available on microfilm from the periodicals desk, located on the second floor of the library.

Alexander, Margaret Walker. “Reflections on the Events of May 1970.” Speech delivered by Dr. Alexander, May 11, 1972, Jackson State College.

“Arms and the Campus; Report on Campus Unrest.” Newsweek, LXXVI (October 12, 1970), 49.

“Dark Day in Jackson.” Newsweek, LXXV (May 25, 1970), 35-36.

“Jackson State Students Denied High Court Appeal.” Education Daily, VIII (March 6, 1975), 4.

“Killings in Jackson and Augusta.” America, CXXII (May 30, 1970), 577.

“Law and Disorder.” Ebony, XXV (July, 1970), 96-97.

Lesker, S. “Jackson State A Year Later.” New York Times Magazine, (March 21, 1971), 24 ff.

Lesker, S. “Jackson State Becalmed.” Newsweek, LXXVII, (March 1, 1971), 69.

Montgomery, Paul L. “Slain Youths Lacked Time for Politics.” New York Times, (May 16, 1970).

The New York Times Index. Vol. 58, 1970. New York: New York Times Company, 1971, 957-958.

O’Neil, Robert M. No Heroes No Villains. San Francisco, California: Josey-Bass, Inc., Publisher, 1972.

“Seeks to Save Voting Rights Act, Called One Hope Against Bullets.” Jet, (July 2, 1970), 6-7.

“South: Death in Two Cities.” Times, XCV (May 25, 1970), 22 ff.

Southern Regional Council. Augusta, Georgia and Jackson State University, Southern Episodes in a National Tragedy. (Special Report) Atlanta, Georgia: Southern Regional Council, 1970.

U.S. President’s Commission on Campus Unrest. The Report of the President’s Commission on Campus Unrest Including Special Reports: The Killings at Jackson State, The Kent State Tragedy. New York: Arno Press, 1970.

Vetter, Craig. “Funeral in Jackson.” Playboy, (June, 1970), 149 ff.

Wallace, Janet. “A Tradition of Hatred – Four Years Later.” Phoenix, XIV (May 16, 1974), 3-4.

“What the Tape Said; Students Deaths; Hearings Before the President’s Commission on Campus Unrest.” Newsweek, LXXVI (August 24, 1970), 22 ff.

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Container List

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