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This story originally appeared in the Jackson Free Press. It was added to the Mississippi Free Press website in 2025.
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The Smith Robertson Museum and Cultural Center, 528 Bloom St, Jackson, is extending its Freedom’s Sisters exhibit to Aug. 22.

The museum has also extended the deadline to Aug. 22 on an essay contest open to students in grades 4 through 8. Writers should explain who their favorite Freedom’s Sister—or any influential person—is and why. They can also tell what they are doing to continue the Freedom Sisters’ legacy. First prize is a $5,000 U.S. savings bond, second prize is a $2,500 savings bond, and third place wins a $1,000 bond.

The Freedom’s Sisters exhibit, where this photo shoot was set, focuses on 20 women who, through their efforts, brought liberty and justice to African Americans. Harriet Tubman, Mary McLeod Bethune, Septima Poinsette Clark, Fannie Lou Hammer, Dorothy Height, Coretta Scott King, Rosa Parks and 13 other women leaders are featured.

Hours for the exhibit are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays. Ticket prices are $4.50 for regular admission; senior tickets $3; $1.50 for children under 18. Call the museum at 601-960-1457.

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The Mississippi Free Press produced this story through the MFP Solutions Lab, supported by the Solutions Journalism Network. This series digs into Mississippi’s systemic issues and sheds light on responses to them in other communities. Beyond just reporting on problems, these stories interrogate their causes and inspect potential solutions.

Digital Editor Dustin Cardon is a graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi where he studied journalism. He started his journalism career years ago at the Jackson Free Press in Mississippi’s capital city as an intern and worked his way up to web editor, a role he now holds within the Mississippi Free Press. Dustin enjoys reading fantasy novels and wants to write them himself one day. Email him at dustin@mississippifreepress.org.