A new Mississippi Freedom Trail marker has been unveiled, honoring the late Dr. Emmett Stringer.
On May 8, officials with Visit Mississippi, the Columbus-Lowndes Convention and Visitors Bureau, along with the Mississippi Humanities Council, commemorated Stringer through a permanent landmark on Catfish Alley. The program included remarks by members of the Stringer family, state Rep. Kabir Karriem, Columbus Mayor Keith Gaskin, and other local dignitaries.
Raised in Mound Bayou, Emmett James Stringer graduated from Meharry Medical College School of Dentistry in Nashville after serving in the Army. Stringer moved to Columbus in 1950, where he opened a dental practice on South Fourth Street, as his wife began teaching in Columbus schools.
Stringer helped to organize the Columbus chapter of the NAACP and led efforts to register Black voters locally. The civil rights pioneer was elected NAACP state president in 1953 and recruited Medgar Evers to serve as Mississippi’s first state field secretary for the association.
He was targeted by the Ku Klux Klan for his role in attempting to desegregate local schools. Stringer faced economic retaliation, including the cancellation of his insurance and credit, and the firing of his wife from her teaching position.
“We are proud to celebrate Mississippi’s historic efforts during the Civil Rights Movement, and with this newest Mississippi Freedom Trail marker, we honor the work of Dr. Emmett Stringer and his commitment to establishing equality for all,” Visit Mississippi Director Rochelle Hicks said.
The Mississippi Freedom Trail pays tribute to Mississippi’s profound impact on the U.S. civil rights movement. Administered by Visit Mississippi in partnership with the Mississippi Humanities Council, the Mississippi Freedom Trail is supported by a state tourism grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration.
There are currently more than 40 commemorative markers statewide to date.
