THE CAPITAL AREA 235 Tougaloo Southern Christian College attempted to integrate the Jackson Public Municipal Library. The students were arrested for “breach of peace,” but their actions garnered the support of the local African American community and served as a catalyst for the start of the Jackson civil rights movement. On April 20, 1961, three Jackson State College students, George Washington, Doris Bracey, and Walter Jones, along with a Campbell College student, Johnny Barbour Jr., boarded a city bus and sat in the whites-only section. When they refused to move to the “colored” section, they were arrested and charged with breach of the peace. A month later, on May 24, 1961, the Freedom Riders disembarked at the Jackson bus station and were promptly arrested. In response, Jackson resident Claire Collins Harvey founded Womanpower Unlimited to collect supplies for the arrestees during their time Riders in the local jails. The organization also established a network of homes throughout the state where civil rights activists could safely stay during their campaigns. In the spring of 1963, the Jackson Movement, an organized series of protests on Capitol Street in downtown Jackson, took place under the leadership of Medgar Evers. Capitol Street also became the scene of SANDERSON FARMS CHAMPIONSHIP The Sanderson Farms Championship has been a stop on the PGA Tour since 1986, when it was called the Magnolia Classic and hosted in Hattiesburg. The tournament has gone through several names and host cities and courses, but is now hosted by the Country Club of Jackson and sponsored by Sanderson Farms, which is based in Laurel. The tournament helps raise money for Blair E. Batson Children’s Hospital and other nonprofits in Mississippi. The winner of the Sanderson Farms Championship receives a chicken-shaped trophy, monetary prize, and points which count toward the FedEx Cup. The tournament raises more than $1 million annually for the Blair E. Batson Children’s Hospital. Since Sanderson Farms began sponsoring the event, more than $1 million has been donated each year to nonprofits, including Blair E. Batson Children’s Hospital, across the State. PHOTO COURTESY OF TATE K. NATIONS