Trump Visit Prompts Boycott at Mississippi Civil Rights Museum

Civil rights icon and congressman John Lewis says he will not attend the opening Saturday of a civil rights museum in Mississippi because President Donald Trump will be there.

The Mississippi Civil Rights Museum in Jackson will feature a stark look at the often bloody struggle for civil rights in the American South from 1945 through 1976. Exhibits include such weapons of terror and hate as a Ku Klux Klan cross and the gun used to murder activist Medgar Evers.

Decades later, as Mississippi marks its bicentennial, the state is getting an unflinching look at its complex, often brutal past in two history museums, complete with displays of slave chains, Ku Klux Klan robes and graphic photos of lynchings and firebombings.

There also is a Museum of Mississippi History, which provides a 15,000-year review of the state's history from prehistoric times to present day. The two distinct museums under a single roof both open Saturday, the day before the 200th anniversary of Mississippi becoming the 20th state.

"President Trump's attendance and his hurtful policies are an insult to the people portrayed in this civil rights museum," Lewis said in a statement. "President Trump's disparaging comments about women, the disabled, immigrants, and National Football League players disrespect the efforts of Fannie Lou Hamer ... Medgar Evers, Robert Clark, James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, Michael Schwerner, and countless others who have given their all for Mississippi to be a better place."

Lewis, who is 77 years old, worked with Martin Luther King, led the civil rights march on Selma, and spoke at the March on Washington in 1963. For the last 21 years, he has represented the state of Georgia in the House of Representatives. He was scheduled to be one of the main speakers Saturday.

The White House said it is "unfortunate" that Lewis will not be at the opening.

White House spokesman Raj Shah said the president "has always condemned racism, violence and bigotry and hatred in all forms. We stand by that."

The president has come under criticism from some for his reluctance to condemn the white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, this summer. He also has been relentless in his criticism of the silent, bent knee protests during the national anthem staged by NFL players in their attempt to bring national focus to the police brutality directed on African American men.

Myrlie Evers-Williams, the widow of assassinated Mississippi NAACP leader Medgar Evers, will be one of the featured speakers at the opening event. Evers-Williams has said she will address Trump’s presence, although the president may be gone by the time she speaks.

Derrick Johnson, the NAACP president, told CNN that he will not attend the opening either. Johnson said Trump's presence at the museum is "an affront to those individuals who fought for voting rights to ensure that people had quality education and access to health care ...Those are principles this President does not support."

The White House said Trump hopes others will be there to acknowledge "the movement was about removing barriers and unifying Americans of all backgrounds.''
Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant, a supporter of Trump who invited the president, is urging Mississippians to welcome the visit, a rare presidential trip to Mississippi not linked to a disaster. He said this week Trump’s attendance will draw global attention and provide the museums with a key boost.

Some African Americans, although opposed to Trump, still intend to go. The Rev. C.J. Rhodes, a prominent clergyman and son of one of the state’s top voting rights lawyers, said he would still attend. He said Trump sharing the day is part of Mississippi's "complicated, complex, conflicted narrative."

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