Delta Hands for Hope

To empower all children to have the education, leadership skills, and abilities to succeed.

124 East Peeler Avenue Shaw, MS, 38773 United States

Office 662-402-6882

50th Anniversary of Hawkins v. Town of Shaw

October 3 - 5, 2019

Commemoration events

  •  The theatrical play will be a live stage enactment of activities involving the Hawkins lawsuit and individuals in the Shaw Civil Rights movement.  

  • A Shaw Civil Rights Movement Exhibit will be on display during the commemoration from October 2 - 6, 2019.  This exhibit will include the oral histories of civil rights veterans, pictures, documents, and more.  Afterwards, the entire commemoration collection will be housed at Delta State University Archives and Museums and made available online to the public.  The Shaw Historical Society has the responsibility of continually collecting and documenting the history of Shaw.  As many of the veterans of the Shaw Civil Rights movement enter their seventies and eighties, it is vital that we document their personal stories before it’s too late.

  • A reunion of Mississippi civil rights veterans invites everyone to the Delta region (Shaw, MS) to meet the veterans of the Shaw Civil Rights movement, get reacquainted with old friends and family, and share their stories.  

  • Renaming of U.S. Highway 61 within the city limits of Shaw to “Andrew and Mary Lou Hawkins Memorial Highway.”  We are working with Mississippi Senator Willie Simmons and State Representative Tracey Rosebud.  Your financial support for this project will also be used to purchase and erect a Civil Rights Marker/Freedom Trail Marker in Shaw.  The marker will tell the civil rights story of Mr. and Mrs. Hawkins and the lawsuit’s contribution to the American Civil Rights Movement.

  • A national discussion will be hosted focusing on but not limited to Hawkins v. Town of Shaw (past and current impact), poverty in America, race relations, etc.  This discussion is ground work for change on issues in our communities and across the country. Participants will include elected officials (federal, state, local), law school students, nonprofit organizations, advocacy groups, civil rights organizations, citizens of Shaw, and the public is invited to join us.