MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE

1998 Regular Session

To: Rules

By: Representatives Henderson (9th), Clarke, Evans, Bailey, Blackmon, Bozeman, Broomfield, Clark, Coleman (29th), Coleman (65th), Dickson, Ellis, Flaggs, Fredericks, Gibbs, Green (96th), Green (72nd), Henderson (26th), Huddleston, Middleton, Morris, Myers, Perkins, Robinson (63rd), Scott (80th), Smith (27th), Straughter, Thomas, Thornton, Walker, Wallace, Watson, West, Young

House Concurrent Resolution 162

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION HONORING AND RECOGNIZING THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE 1968 MULE TRAIN SEGMENT OF THE POOR PEOPLE'S CAMPAIGN. 

WHEREAS, the 1968 Poor People's Campaign to Washington, D.C., originated as a Mule Train in Marks, Mississippi; and

WHEREAS, the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr., visited Marks twice and on both occasions cried tears at the abject poverty among certain segments of the citizenry; and

WHEREAS, Dr. King envisioned a convoy of mule-drawn covered wagons beginning at Marks and arriving at the nation's capital as a Poor People's Campaign for jobs and justice; and

WHEREAS, Dr. King was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee, two weeks before the anticipated Mule Train; and

WHEREAS, Ambassador Andrew Young, the Reverend Ralph David Abernathy and Mrs. Coretta Scott King came to Marks and encouraged the formation of 15 mule-drawn covered wagons; and

WHEREAS, the Mule Train departed Marks on May 14, 1968, arrived in Atlanta, Georgia, on June 14, and from there was shipped to Washington, D.C., for June 18, 1968; and

WHEREAS, the Mule Train from Marks was the featured attraction at the Poor People's Parade for the Juneteenth Solidarity Day in Washington, D.C., on June 19, 1968; and

WHEREAS, the Mule Train and Poor People's Campaign resulted in social programs benefiting poor people throughout the nation, but especially within the State of Mississippi; and

WHEREAS, 30 years later, a biracial committee of local citizens in Marks and Quitman County is coordinating a reenactment; and

WHEREAS, the biracial committee is also planning a museum and cultural center; and

WHEREAS, the objective of all these efforts is the creation of hometown pride, historical and cultural awareness and a boost to the local economy through tourism:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE SENATE CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby issue this resolution honoring and recognizing the 30th Anniversary Mule Train Reenactment, and recognizing the important social significance of the museum and cultural center established in Marks, Mississippi, in memory of that important event.