Staff and Wire Reports

The Vicksburg Post

JACKSON — President Donald Trump paid tribute Saturday to the leaders and foot soldiers of the civil rights movement whose sacrifices help make the United States a fairer and more just country, though protests surrounding his visit to Mississippi laid bare the stark divisions among Americans about his commitment to that legacy.

As Trump gazed at an exhibit on Freedom Riders at the new Museum of Mississippi History and the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum, demonstrators near the site held up signs that said “Make America Civil Again” and “Lock Him Up.” Some shouted “No Trump, no hate, no KKK in the USA.”

Trump spent about 30 minutes at the museums, gave a 10-minute speech to select guests inside and then flew back to his Florida estate, skipping the public schedule of the dedication ceremony held outside on a chilly day. He spent more time getting to Jackson than he did on the ground.

When he arrived at the museum, Trump was greeted in part by Vicksburg Mayor George Flaggs Jr., who was invited by the White House to be one of those who welcomed Trump to Mississippi.

“The White House wanted me to greet him and welcome him to Mississippi, which I did and I thought I should do as mayor the city if the opportunity presented itself to greet the President of the United States,” Flaggs said. “I am extremely glad that I did it because it required him to do some research about me and he knew of me through the research. He was very cordial and friendly and I extended the invitation to him to come to Vicksburg sometime … I let him know me and my position and put Vicksburg on the map. I think it is going to open some doors and opportunities to the White House to discuss some more pressing issues such as infrastructure and tourism.”

Trump’s remarks steered clear of addressing the anger that his participation had sparked leading up to the dedication. In a deliberate voice and rarely diverting from his prepared words, the president sought to honor the famous and the anonymous for their efforts on behalf of freedom for all.

“The civil rights museum records the oppression, cruelty and injustice inflicted on the African-American community, the fight to bring down Jim Crow and end segregation, to gain the right to vote and to achieve the sacred birthright of equality. And it’s big stuff. That’s big stuff,” he said.

“Those are very big phrases, very big words. Here we memorialize the brave men and women who struggled to sacrifice and sacrifice so much so that others might live in freedom,” he said.

Singled out by the president was Medgar Evers, the Mississippi NAACP leader who was shot to death outside his home in 1963. His widow, Myrlie, was in the audience for Trump’s speech and drew a standing ovation when he acknowledged her.

Trump said Medgar Evers “knew it was long past time for his nation to fulfill its founding promise to treat every citizen as an equal child of God.”

Myrlie Evers did not mention Trump in her remarks a short time later at the public ceremony outside the museum. “Regardless of race, creed or color, we are all Americans. … If Mississippi can rise to the occasion, then the rest of the country should be able to do the same thing,” she said.